State Alchemist and Soldiers
by JaxsonJaguar
Summary: In modern day Amestris a new group of State Alchemist and Soldiers are sent out into the world.  This is the story of two brothers one's a State Alchemist the other is a Soldier.  Posted in parts chapter 8 is up, please read and review.
1. Chapter 1

State Alchemist and Soldiers

Part 1

Chapter 1

A Full Metal Alchemist fan fiction

By Jaxson Jaguar

Okay time to get the particulars out of the way. I do not own anything even remotely related to the Full Metal Alchemist universe except for my own characters. Its original creator, Hiromu Arakawa, owns Full Metal Alchemist and the production studios BONES, Aniplex, Square-Enix, and Mainichi Broadcasting. Also to fully cover myself lets include the series director Seiji Mizushima and the broadcasters Animax, TBS, Bandai Channel, and again Mainichi Broadcasting. These guys own various portions of the Full Metal Alchemist franchise, not me.

Okay if you do not like fan fictions that have a lot of fan made characters with little or no interaction with the original characters you are going to hate this fan fiction. If you are fed up with fan fictions that have fan made characters hooking up with original characters totally chopping up the original story, you may like my work. Finally, if you have ever wondered what else is happening or happened in the world before, during, or after the adventures of the main characters maybe, just maybe, I can give you some idea.

* * *

One night in downtown a group of newly appointed State Alchemist is out having a few drinks and celebrating their accomplishments. They are not alone for a group of military academy graduates are also their celebrating their graduation. It is a good night for this pub. Nights like this keep the place open. It's an old pub but well kept. It has with stood enemy invasions, bombings, riots, and organized crime. Through it all, the pub has stood since the early 1900's.

It's a friendly place, sure there is the occasional drunken bar fight but it is relatively good-natured atmosphere. The same family has owned the pub since it opened and the current owners continue the tradition. Nights like tonight that allows them to keep it in the black and in the family. Sure sometimes the officers and the alchemist don't get along well but the owner takes precautions. His best bar tenders man the bar, his toughest waitresses work the tables, and his biggest bouncers watch the door and the crowd. Yes, nights like these make it all worth it.

At one end of the bar two young men sit working on a couple of pints of the houses signature drought. One is a tall one, about 6'0 or taller and quite muscular but not too much. The other is maybe a head shorter, about 5'6 or 5'7 average for a man his age. They both had short brown hair; the shorter had green eyes while the taller had blue eyes.

"So can I refill those glasses for you gentlemen?" One of the bar tenders asked as he approached the two.

The smaller one finished off his drink and pushed the glass aside.

"My good man this is some fine beer you have here, but I'm afraid it may be too much for me to handle." He explained.

"However I will buy my big brother here, the newly commissioned 2nd Lieutenant William MacClenny another round." He said as he put down money for the first round for him and his brother along with enough for another round for his brother.

"Bro you don't have to do that but then again who am I to turn down a free drink. So by all means filler up bar keep." William said as he passed his glass to the bar tender.

They are the MacClenny brothers William the oldest aged twenty-four and Jacob the youngest at twenty-two. Will had just graduated from the military academy while Jake had just passed the State Alchemist exams. On this night they celebrated each other's accomplishments since their parents had to return to their hometown early. They didn't mind much; all that mattered was that they were there to see their boys off on their new lives.

"You know after tonight it may be along time before we see each other again bro." Will said as he took another gulp of beer.

"All the more reason to enjoy the night, big guy." Jake said as he patted his brother on the back.

"Jake, you and me both know where you would like to be tonight." Will said with a grin.

"Your right, but Kira has finals tomorrow and it would have been rude of me to ask her to come out with us. The last thing I want is her complaining she got a bad grade because she felt obligated to come." Jake explained referring to his girlfriend Kira Baker, who was attending the University of Amestris. She had long dirty blond hair, green eyes and was maybe an inch or two shorter than Jake.

"That makes sense. You still invited her right?" Will asked as he took another gulp.

"Hell yeah man. As much as I didn't want her to be mad at me for making her feel obligated I sure as hell didn't want her to accuse me of leaving her out of things." Jake explained as he ordered a soda.

"You see that is why you two work; you both know each other more than you think. You still plan on asking her to marry you after she graduates?" Will asked.

"Of course I do. But the next couple of years will be trying. She'll be doing her college thing; I'll be doing my State Alchemist thing. I just hope it all works out in the end." Jake said as he spun his bar stool around and leaned against the bar.

Jake and Kira have been together almost all their lives. They were childhood friends while growing up in Risembool. Whenever Jake wasn't with his brother he was with her. The three were practically inseparable. One reason Jake and Kira went together so well was that they were both good at alchemy among other things.

In High School she decided to go to the University of Amestris in central because they had classes that specialized in "Medical Alchemy". Her parents were doctors and she wanted to learn how to use alchemy for medical purposes, so when she learned about the classes at UA she became determined. Jake hadn't given much thought to his future until the night the two finally got together as a couple.

At the end of their first day of their senior year at Elric Senior High School she found him sitting on a bench outside the school long after everyone had gone home for the day. She walked over to him only to find out that his girlfriend at the time had just dumped him and dumped him hard. Kira sat next to him and they spent the rest of the afternoon talking. Later that week they had their first date and had been a couple ever since.

"Don't worry about it, you two have been trough a lot I'm sure this time apart will be good for you two." Will said reassuring his brother who was beginning to look worried.

"You know you're right. In fact you are so right I think you earned another drink on me big brother." Jake said as he spun around and bought his brother another round.

"Damn, dude you trying to get me hammered or what?" Will Laughed as he handed his glass to the bar tender.

"Well make this one your last because I am not buying you another." Jake proclaimed.

"Fair enough, fair enough." Will responded as he took this one a little slower.

Just then there was a commotion at the other end of the pub.

"You alchemists are nothing compared to the rest if the military. Even we officers do more than maybe three of you alchemists put together." A young Lieutenant proclaimed.

"Yeah but who do you officers call when you need like a wall, or a bridge, or any other resource that you need faster than the engineers can build?" An alchemist fired back.

Another officer then stood up.

"Are you saying engineers are slow or something? It's a new millennium alchemist; soon your brand of cheap tricks will be a thing of the past." An engineering officer proclaimed in defense of his profession.

"Damnit, Pete can you go one evening with out getting into a fight with the regular military?" Jake said as he stepped off his stool.

"Jake, watch yourself." Will said as he finished his beer and began to follow.

Peter Warner was a fellow alchemist Jake had met while studying for the State Alchemy exams. He was a vocal supporter and defender of need for alchemist, which often got him in trouble with those who were starting to see alchemy as an outdated and less important practice.

"Gentlemen, chill out." Jake said as he made his way to the crowd before the bouncers.

"You guys keep this up you'll ruin this evening for the rest of us. Why don't you all just step outside and get some air. Some air will do you guys some good you can then come back here and continue to get shit-faced drunk like you most likely planned." Jake said as he started motioning the group out the door.

Cooler heads prevailed for the moment as they started to heed his advice. Still though the two brothers decided to follow them outside, for they knew that there was going to be a fight. Getting them outside was too easy. A few other people sensed the same thing and followed them out leaving the rest of the patrons to enjoy the rest of the celebration in peace.

"Pete, do me a favor and just go home or something. I don't want to see you tossed in jail over some stupid argument." Jake said as he pulled his friend aside.

"It's not stupid Jake. I'm tied of people not taking us seriously. Alchemy is just as important now in 2003 as it was back in 1903." Pete argued his breath reeking with alcohol.

"Dude your drunk lets go home." Jake said as he started to flag down a cab.

As he raised his arm a rock hit him in his ribs. He instantly brought his arm down and doubled over in pain. Upon lifting his shirt he noticed he was bleeding.

"Where you going? Is the high and mighty State Alchemist running? I knew you second rate magicians were cowards." One officer taunted.

"Jake, lets get out of here they're not even remotely worth it." Will said as he helped his brother to his feet.

"Will, if you don't mind, hail a cab for us. I'm gonna give us some running room." Jake said as he reached for a pair of gloves. After a brief inspection of the transmutation circles he began to slide them on.

"Jake, don't do anything stupid." Will warned as Jake walked toward the officers.

"I'm not going to hurt them." Jake assured his brother.

Jake stood in front of the officers and showed them the transmutation circles on the palms of his gloves.

"These circles are perfect for this situation. All the stuff I need to bring you guys down is all around me. All I have to do is supply the right circles." Jake explained.

"Is this how you fight? You gonna lecture us into submission?" The officer asked.

"Not quite." Jake then put his palms on the sidewalk. As soon as the circles hit the pavement the cement came up and formed a cage around the officers.

"Rock type transmutation circle number forty-five. A favorite among cops." Jake said as he showed them the circles again.

"It hasn't been made official yet but I think I have enough criteria to earn the title The Transmutation Circle Alchemist. I have categorized and created to date well over five thousand transmutation circles. I have used even more. I have published two books detailing many of my findings. That said I am well on my way to someday becoming a foremost expert on transmutation circles. You guys didn't stand a chance." Jake bragged as he pointed to them and laughed.

"You know I cannot tell you how long he has worked on that speech." Will said rubbing the space between his eyes.

"Tell me about it, I was his study partner remember." Pete said as a cab pulled up.

Jake walked back to the group ignoring the drunken jeers and curses coming from the caged officers. The three squeezed into the back seat of the cab and off to their apartment.

The next day Jake stood in the courtyard of the University of Amestris waiting for Kira to come out of exams. It was early summer and it was a generally hot day with a refreshing cool breeze blowing. Earlier that day Jake reported in to receive his State Alchemist uniform, which was a variation on the outfit Ed wore way back when. Only now the black shirt was just a regular black shirt, the boots were the same; the pants were black khakis, (Jake wished they could be jeans but that was fight he would never win.) The over coat was still red but Ed's Flamel symbol was replaced by the official State Alchemist symbol that was found on their watches. Which, by the way he hadn't received yet.

He wiped the sweat from his brow and sat on a bench under a tree. The shade helped a bit but it was still hot. As he started to roll up his sleeves, he glanced over and saw Kira walking out of the test hall. He stood up and walked over to greet her. Unfortunately he couldn't see her face that well so he had no idea how she did. She was wearing a long denim skirt with a red shirt and an old but clean pair of tennis shoes. Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail, but as soon as she crossed into the light of day she let it down and put on some sunglasses.

"Hey K-Bay." He called out to her. K-bay was a childhood nickname he gave her that consisted of her first initial, obviously, and the first two syllables of her last name.

"You okay? You want to go get something to drink, eat, or maybe some ice cream, or something?" He asked assuming the worst.

"You know I am dying for a smoothie right now." She responded sounding rather groggy and drained. She looked groggy and drained.

"You look like I did when I finished the State Alchemy exam." He said trying to cheer her up.

"Didn't you almost collapse from exhaustion after that?" She pointed out squinting at him.

"Yeah you're right I did look pretty horrible." He replied with a slight laugh.

"I'm just glad the damn things over. I can't believe I got a few more years of this." She moaned as she leaned on him almost begging him to carry her.

"Don't worry about you'll do fine. You know what how bout tonight I kick out Will and Pete and make us a romantic dinner for two?" He suggested. She always liked it when he did things like that. He was also a good cook and she loved it when he went out of his way to cook for her.

"You know what that sounds nice; I could use a quiet night in after what I went through." She said as she let go of him and stretched.

"So is that your uniform?" She asked, as she looked him up and down.

"Yeah I just got it today, no watch yet though." He replied as stepped back to let her get a good look.

"You look handsome but in a cool way." She commented.

"Well thank you. I was wondering what you would think. So anyway you're off next week right?" He asked.

"Yeah summer break will start. I got some jobs lined up, ones at that pub you guys went to last night." She told him with a grin.

"Really?" H responded rather impressed.

"Yeah during the interview the head waitress ran me threw some "drills" and she was impressed. She said what ended up getting me the job was my slap and punch. She was very impressed with my slapping skill." She said glowing with pride.

"Yeah you do have an awesome follow through." He said as he hung his head and rubbed his face remembering the times she slapped him.

"What's the other job you have lined up?" He asked.

"Oh, it's just as cool, I'll be working at that open air shop at the lake. It's cool because there is no uniform and I'll manage to get some sun." After she said that she leaned in close to his ear.

"Maybe after you leave I'll send you some pictures of my new bikini, and perhaps more." She whispered into his ear.

"Damnit woman you know how I hate to be teased." He said with a grin as he pulled her in front of him and wrapped his arms around her.

"Do you know when you'll get your orders?" She asked.

"Soon, most likely when I get assigned my watch and official title." He said as their foreheads touched.

"I'll miss you. Don't forget that ok." She said as she rested her head on his chest.

"I won't forget, and I'll be missing you too." He replied as he held her closer and gently stroked her hair.

"You still want that smoothie?" He asked.

"Not yet, I'm not finished." She said as she continued to hug him.

To Be Continued.


	2. Chapter 2

State Alchemist and Soldiers

Chapter 2

A Full Metal Alchemist fan fiction

By Jaxson Jaguar

Okay time to get the particulars out of the way. I do not own anything even remotely related to the Full Metal Alchemist universe except for my own characters. Its original creator, Hiromu Arakawa, owns Full Metal Alchemist and the production studios BONES, Aniplex, Square-Enix, and Mainichi Broadcasting. Also to fully cover myself lets include the series director Seiji Mizushima and the broadcasters Animax, TBS, Bandai Channel, and again Mainichi Broadcasting. These guys own various portions of the Full Metal Alchemist franchise, not me.

Okay if you do not like fan fictions that have a lot of fan made characters with little or no interaction with the original characters you are going to hate this fan fiction. If you are fed up with fan fictions that have fan made characters hooking up with original characters totally chopping up the original story, you may like my work. Finally, if you have ever wondered what else is happening or happened in the world before, during, or after the adventures of the main characters maybe, just maybe, I can give you some idea.

* * *

"So do you know why I summoned you here MacClenny?" The Commanding Officer of the State Alchemists asked.

"Well ma'am I have a good idea I only hope that what I'm thinking is in fact the reason why you called me." Jake said as he sat on the edge of the chair in front of her desk.

"You know I'd like to hear your version of why I called you here." She said as she leaned forward in her chair.

"You called me here to give me my title, watch, and orders." He said feeling anxious and nervous at the same time.

Lieutenant Colonel Riza Mustang, granddaughter of Roy and Riza Mustang and was the first since Roy to be the Commanding Officer of the State Alchemists. She was about average height but the way she carried herself made her seem taller. She had blond hair, which she wore the same way her grandmother did, and deep brown eyes and as a high ranking officer she wore the traditional blue uniform.

She stood up from behind her desk and called Jake to attention.

"2nd Lieutenant Jacob MacClenny, I Lieutenant Colonel Riza Mustang, the Lightning Alchemist, and Commanding Officer of the State Alchemists bestow to you your State Alchemist watch and your official title. Jacob MacClenny on be half of the king I congratulate you the Transmutation Circle Alchemist." She said as she proudly handed him his watch and certificate.

He took the watch and certificate and rendered a proper salute.

"At ease Lieutenant." She said as she returned to her seat as did he.

"Now as far as your assignment you will be placed in the research division. Basically we're going t give you a warehouse so you and a few others can create new Transmutation Circles and classify existing ones. Nothing you are not familiar with. But if need be we will call on you to go out on investigations at a moments notice. Do you understand?" She asked.

"Yes ma'am. I'm surprised you're willing to give me room to continue my research." He said trying to contain his excitement.

"Well that is why you were recruited. We hope to find and recruit others like you. Well I shouldn't keep you. The secretary will have your paperwork." She explained. They both stood up and each rendered a salute before she dismissed him.

Jake exited the office and picked up the paper work that was waiting for him on the secretary's desk. He stopped by the cafeteria for a bite to eat before he was to go inspect his new testing facility. As he got inline for some food he noticed that Pete was also there. After paying for his lunch Jake walked over to where Pete was sitting and sat across from him.

"So you hear to receive your title and orders also?" Jake asked as he started to eat.

"I wish. No they haven't gotten to me yet. So in the mean time I'm to report to the records office for file management." Pete said with a sigh.

"Sorry to hear that dude, but I'm sure they'll get around to you." Jake said trying to reassure his friend.

"Perhaps, I'm told that it often does take awhile for these things to be processed. However it doesn't surprise me that you got all that stuff right away." He said as he sipped some soup.

"How did you figure it out?" Jake asked.

"I saw the chain for your watch as you sat down." Pete said as he finished up his soup.

"So… Soup and sandwich for lunch?" Jake said trying to change the subject.

"Yeah, I had a big breakfast. Enough about food let me see the watch." Pete said.

Jake then reluctantly pulled out his pocket watch and showed it off.

"Nice, it's just as they describe. I guess if it ain't broke don't fix it right?" Pete said as he looked it over.

"You know I just realized something." Jake said as he took back the watch.

"And what is that might I ask?" Pete asked as he started on his sandwich.

"You'll have access to all the files belonging to State Alchemist past and present." Jake pointed out.

"Of course, what's it to you?" Pete asked with a slight hint of suspicion.

"Well you'll have access to the file of Edward Elric the Full Metal Alchemist. I envy you man." Jake said trying to keep his voice and his excitement down.

"While that is true what's it to you? I mean your expertise is transmutation circles and from what I know Ed was able to transmute with out the aid of a circle. Plus his file has got to be like almost eighty years old so they should be available to the public upon request." Pete pointed out.

"You would think that. I mean for example a lot of other files from that era are declassified. However when it comes to Ed his files are still labeled as classified. Does that not strike you as odd?" Jake explained.

"Yes, that does strike me as odd but you didn't answer my question. What do Ed's files have to do with you?" Pete asked.

"Admiration I suppose. I mean hell I from Risembool, I attended Elric Senior High School. I grew up hearing stories of the famous Elric brothers. I guess I just want to know how much of the legends are fact." Jake explained still toning down his enthusiasm.

"Alright fan boy I'll look into it for you but if something goes wrong it's your neck understand." Pete threatened.

"Understood my man, I owe you big time for this." Jake replied.

"You bet you do and you can start but letting me in on some of your projects. I know my way around a transmutation circle I could help you out." Pete suggested.

"That's fine the more help the better. I have a felling I'm mostly going to be designing them and noting the findings. I'll probably have people test them out." Jake explained.

"That's no fun; they got you doing paperwork when it's you who should be testing the circles." Pete said as they both left their table.

"Oh you can trust that I will be testing my circles. I'll just use my staff to classify existing circles." Jake assured his friend.

"So what are you doing for the rest of the day?" Pete asked as they exited the cafeteria.

"I'm going to inspect the testing facility they're giving me. While there I'll see if I can work with what's already there before going out and buying furniture and equipment." Jake replied.

"Well I image you won't need to much stuff. Knowing you, you'll want as much space as possible." Pete added.

"True, but I might need some office furniture and some stuff for a break room. Not to mention computers and materials necessary for various transmutations. And of course fans, lots of fans. Transmutations can get pretty smoky; on that note I hope the place has a good ventilation system as well as lots of windows." Jake said as he pulled out a pen and a small pad of paper and started making out a shopping list.

"Well I don't want to keep you, good luck Jake." Pete said as he started to walk away.

"Later Pete." Jake said as he began to walk towards the Military warehouses.

The warehouses were old some more run down than others. Many were being torn down to make way for new ones. The facility that was assigned to Jake was a newer one. It was small but big enough for his research. As he walked in he noticed how much bigger it looked on the inside. Upon inspection he noticed that the roof could be opened, plus the lower vents could be turned on reverse. This was probably originally designed for easier clean up.

The office was near the front of the building, it was big enough with windows that went from the door around the side to the wall. The interior was nice enough. The walls were a soft cream color that was easy on the eyes when the lights were on. The carpet was a dark blue almost purple color. Other than that the room was empty. Jake pulled out his note pad and put a check next to office furniture and electronics. He could already anticipate the headache he was going to get sorting through the budget. After checking and confirming that the office windows did open he looked around the rest of the building.

He walked along the wall of the building and as he did he realized the ceiling was not that high up. The bathroom was in the back and was on the outside of the building to provide more floor space. He then pulled out his gloves with the rock type transmutation circles. After cracking his knuckles he put his hands on the floor and brought up a couple of walls. He then pressed his hands to the walls and formed spaces for walls and windows, thus creating a break room. As he headed out he located the switch that opened up the panels on the ceiling. The switch had an option to either open the panels in or out. All that was left for him to do now was to go down to the supply office.

Meanwhile over at the regular Military headquarters Will was picking up his orders. There was far less formality with his orders he basically picked them up from a receptionist in his commanders support staff office.

"Are these really my orders?" Will asked in disbelief after looking them over.

"Is there a problem Lieutenant?" The receptionist asked.

"Well it's just I didn't think you sent newly commissioned officers to a place like Fort Hughes?" He asked.

Fort Hughes is an outpost base on the border of Amestris and Ishbal. It is situated on the Amestris side and acts as a means of keeping Amestris and Ishbal separated. To this day no Alchemist is allowed into Ishbal and only very few people are allowed to enter Ishbal but clearance takes a few weeks to get approved. On the Ishbal side no one is allowed to go into Amestris unless they are visiting family or are going in for business purposes. So there isn't much traffic between the two countries with the exception of merchants and a few religious converts.

What makes this a difficult assignment is that the truce between the two countries is so thin that almost anything could set off tensions. It is the duty of the officers to make sure there subordinates enlisted and officer alike stay inline and do nothing that could be conceived as an international incident. Of course the problem is many of the men stationed there are young and the fact that there is hardly any thing out in that part of the country it is not uncommon for problems to arise.

"I chose to send you to test your skills as a leader Lieutenant MacClenny." A man said as he walked up behind Will.

"Colonel Hickam!" Will said as he snapped to attention.

"At ease Lieutenant, please step into my office so we can talk." Colonel Hickam said as he led him to his office.

"I can understand your feelings toward an assignment like that but understand I gave it to you out of confidence. I reviewed your records and your instructors gave you high marks. You may not have been the top of your class but you were defiantly one of the top graduates. With that said I'm giving you this assignment to challenge you. Recently Fort Hughes has had some close calls with some of its troops and the population of Ishbal. The men need guidance and supervision. I believe you are up well suited for the challenge. So what do you have to say about these new developments?" The Colonel asked.

"Well sir I am honored that you think so highly of me. It's a lot of pressure but I'm inclined to accept and prove that I can do this sir." Will responded with confidence.

"That's what I like to hear Lieutenant. Good luck on your assignment, dismissed." With that they both exchanged salutes and Will left to tell Jake the news.

Jake was just leaving the supply office with a bag full of paperwork when his phone began to ring.

"Hey Will, I was wondering when you were going to call." Jake said as he answered his phone.

"Hey bro, where you at? I just got my orders I need to tell you about my assignment." Will said with a hint of excitement.

"Me too but I got a lot of paper work to go over can you meet me at my apartment?" He asked.

"Not a problem, I'll call mom and dad in the meantime." He replied

"Damn I need to call them too, not to mention I still have to tell Kira. Look, I'll meet you at the apartment. Pete should be home so you won't have to wait outside the building." He said as he changed direction.

"That's cool I still got some errands to run also, see you tonight bro." With that the two said their goodbyes and hung up.

Jake then looked at the clock on his phone and called Kira. After a few rings her voice mail kicked in.

"Hello you have reached Kira Baker I am unable to answer my phone at the moment so please leave you name and number and I'll do my best to get back to you. Oh, if this is Jake I'm working at the lake on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I work at the pub on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. I know this may seem like a lot but don't worry it's nothing I can't handle. Talk to you later." The message then went to the generic recording.

"Okay she's at the beach way on the other side of town. Damn I need a car." He groaned as he waited at a near by bus stop.

Four buses later he finally made it to the lake. The crowds were just starting to thin out as the afternoon wore on but many people were still showing up, people who had been working all day and were trying to catch the last bit of sun of the day. The lake was large and pristine thanks to efforts taken many years ago by the local government to keep the lake in good condition. They banned motorboats with the exception of those used by lifeguards and the fire department. No pipes drained into the lake and illegal dumping of any kind carried a stiff fine and penalty. All the work paid off, the lake was one of the cleanest in the country and the most popular.

The shop where Kira worked was in the middle of the parking lot and as she said it was open. The roof was retractable and the windows could be opened fully and on the beach side there was no door or wall only retractable storm shutters. Jake walked in and noticed Kira was working the counter, she was wearing a teal bikini that had a black stripe going down the middle. She also had a black sarong with teal flowers tied around her waist. As Jake approached the counter he pulled out a wax pen and started to draw a transmutation circle on the glass counter top.

"What are you doing?" Kira asked as she walked toward the counter.

"Hang on, not only will you like this but it won't damage the counter. Trust me." Jake said reassuring her.

"Well if you were anyone else I'd be worried… No scratch that I don't care who you are, I'm worried. Jake I happen to like this job, please don't break the counter." She pleaded as he finished the circle.

"You know I never make and use a circle in public that I haven't already tested and tried myself." With that he placed his hands on the counter and activated the circle. After a few seconds there on the counter was a glass hibiscus.

"Oh my god, that's both beautiful and incredible." She said taken aback by the gesture. She then pulled out her camera and her phone and took some pictures with both.

"Okay I'll admit that was really awesome, and sweet, and a number of other things but could you put the counter back to normal before I get fired?" She pleaded as she started looking around keeping an eye out for the manager.

As she looked, Jake was already drawing a circle around the glass flower.

"You sure this will work? That circle seems a bit too big for this. Oh dear god just please don't break the counter." She said as beads of sweat started to run down her face.

Jake finished the circle and as he placed his hands on the counter to activate it he leaned over the counter and planted a deep kiss on her, and as soon as the alchemic reaction was finished he pulled back.

"By the way that bikini, almost as hot as you." He said completing her.

"I knew you'd like it. Wait till you see the other ones I have, I have this one that I bought just for you and maybe, just maybe, if you're good I'll let you see it." She said teasing him and striking a pose.

"Oh, I almost forgot." He said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his watch.

As soon as he placed it on the counter she gently picked it up to look it over.

"It's heavy, well heavier then I expected anyway. So the metal used to make this watch is supposed to enhance a person's Alchemic power." She said as she examined the watch.

"So they say but I honestly can't tell the difference." He said as he reached for a soda.

"You are going to pay for that you know." She said as she continued to look at the watch.

He placed the soda on the counter and she rang him up all while holding the watch.

"You know I remember, back when I was a little girl, I would go and visit Granny Winry and she would tell us all about the famous Elric brothers. I use to love listening to her stories." She said as she leaned forward onto the counter holding her head up with one hand and the watch in front of her with the other.

"I remember that. I remember she taught me how to fix things. Man, I think the entire town and then some turned out for her funeral." He said as he took a gulp of soda.

"I know what you mean. But one story I remember was that Ed had etched a date on the inside of his watch. If I remember correctly it was 3 Oct 10, the day he and his brother left their home to come here to Central to be State Alchemist." She explained as she handed the watch back to him.

"I remember that story now." He replied as he picked up the watch.

He opened it up and looked at the inside of the cover.

"Maybe I should engrave a date in this thing." He thought.

"Oh and what date would that be?" She asked while trying to drop him a hint.

"Don't know, so many to choose from. The day I used alchemy for the first time, the day I met you, they day I left home to come here, the day I passed my State Alchemy exam, today, so many to choose from." He said as he put his watch back into his pocket.

Time passed and it soon came time to close the shop. Jake was waiting outside of the shop when Kira walked out. She had changed into some black shorts and a grey University of Amestris hoodie. They walked over to the bus stop and sat close to each other as they waited.

"Jake?" Kira asked as she leaned on his arm.

"Yes malady?" Jake responded as he put his arm around her.

"You need a car." She added.

"Yeah I do don't I." He said agreeing with her.

To Be Continued.


	3. Chapter 3

State Alchemist and Soldiers

Chapter 3

A Full Metal Alchemist fan fiction

By Jaxson Jaguar

Okay time to get the particulars out of the way. I do not own anything even remotely related to the Full Metal Alchemist universe except for my own characters. Its original creator, Hiromu Arakawa, owns Full Metal Alchemist and the production studios BONES, Aniplex, Square-Enix, and Mainichi Broadcasting. Also to fully cover myself lets include the series director Seiji Mizushima and the broadcasters Animax, TBS, Bandai Channel, and again Mainichi Broadcasting. These guys own various portions of the Full Metal Alchemist franchise, not me.

Okay if you do not like fan fictions that have a lot of fan made characters with little or no interaction with the original characters you are going to hate this fan fiction. If you are fed up with fan fictions that have fan made characters hooking up with original characters totally chopping up the original story, you may like my work. Finally, if you have ever wondered what else is happening or happened in the world before, during, or after the adventures of the main characters maybe, just maybe, I can give you some idea.

* * *

Jacob spent the rest of the week filling out paperwork and furnishing the workshop. It was Friday by the time he got all the computers delivered and set up. There were still a few hours till he could call it a day so he started to set up his computer. Simple things such as, setting up his e-mail account and a printer among other things. Thing was these task didn't take up much time so he pulled out a blank piece of sketch paper and his drawing kit.

His mind was blank though. He had been so busy setting up the shop that he hadn't put much thought into transmutation circles. So in order to get an idea he proceeded to do an exercise. He relaxed his arm and placed pencil to paper. The idea was that eventually he would start drawing out of boredom and eventually a circle would form.

After a few minutes all he could muster was a normal circle. He then leaned forward and started adding things to it, a line here, and a symbol there. Just random things to add to it to make it count as a transmutation circle. After a while the circle had gained a life of its own. With lines connecting to more circles and many different symbols, it soon became too much for the paper. Jacob then took his rough draft and started copying it on his computer. All the while he had no idea what it did. It was just a rather large, intricate, and detailed transmutation circle. He put some finishing touches on it and began to print out different parts of it. He printed out several different sizes with scale measurement notes added to the sides of different parts. He then printed out individual parts of the circle to provide close up view for some of the more detailed parts. Then his phone rang.

"Hello?" He answered

"Hey Jake you haven't forgotten about this weekend have you?" The person on the other end said.

"No I haven't. I mean how could I forget my brothers going away party. Did you manage to book the room at the pub?" Jacob asked.

"Well…" The voice said causing Jacob to get nervous.

"Pete please tell me you got the room. I do not want to hear otherwise." Jacob said as he began to loose his cool.

"Dude, I got the room. That was the easy part. It's everything else that's a pain in my ass." Pete explained.

"No worries man if worse comes to worse I'll just call ahead and place some food orders at the pub. I'm not saying I have enough pull to get them to expedite it but I can at least try." Jacob explained feeling slightly more relieved.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then. Don't work too late." Pete said.

"Later Pete." With that Jacob went back to hanging up the printouts on bulletin boards around the shop floor.

"Working hard or hardly working?" A female voice asked.

"Lt. Colonel Mustang!?" He said as he snapped to attention.

"At ease Lt. MacClenny, I just wanted to check up on you. I take it you got all your supplies set up."

"Yes ma'am, I finished not too long ago. I got a few more hours so I started drafting a Transmutation Circle. The damn thing grew a brain and started going wild. Now I got a large and intricate circle on my hands." He explained as he finished putting up the drafts.

"What does it do?" She asked as she studied the pictures.

"That's the thing, I have no idea." He said rather surprised.

"What do you mean? Why would you make a circle and not know what it does?" She asked.

"Well this is nothing new. Many of the circles that I just came up with I don't know what they do until I test them. However this in and of itself are rare because a lot of the time I'll start with a base circle and expand on it." He explained.

"Well good luck with that. I just hope you don't blow this place up or worse accidentally set off a human transmutation." She said as she stepped away from the boards.

"Thanks, but don't worry about human transmutation. Trust me I studied all kinds of Transmutation Circles and one thing I have found is that all the circles that have to do with human transmutation have the same base. That base is important because it has to be exact for it to work. Expanding on the base determines the strength and overall ability of the transmutation. Consider this, if you were to just use the base circle for a human transmutation the most you could work with would be a medium sized animal or a human toddler. Now depending on what you add and how you add on to it you can either transmutate an adult human or you could create a chimera. It's all in the lines." Jacob explained.

"I see well I guess you know what you're doing. I tell you what Lt. Put these drafts in your safe and as soon as you do that you're dismissed for the weekend." With that she patted him on the back and walked out of the shop.

Jacob started labeling and numbering each page before filing them all away in the safe. Once that was finished he started shutting everything down before locking up on his way out. As he stepped out he was hit by a gust of wind that almost knocked him over. The warehouses were located on a part of the city that was open and the position of the buildings made it seem like you were walking into a wind tunnel. The strength of the wind prompted Jacob to look in the direction of the wind and his suspicions were correct. There was a summer storm brewing on the horizon. This made him repeat a sentiment he had made earlier, he really needed to get a car.

Across town Kira was heading home after closing the store early due to the coming storm. She hoped she could make it home, change, and head over to the pub before the storm hit. God knows rain or shine people were still going to find a place to get drunk and be with friends. Not to mention tonight was the going away party for William which practically screamed tips.

She came to the last bus transfer point on her route and switched buses. The bus she was on stopped right in front of the building where she shared an apartment with some of her friends from school. She sat near the middle door and watched as sky got darker and the wind got stronger. There were three more stops before her apartment and the next one usually had a lot of people. It wasn't so bad but crowds on the bus always made her feel uneasy. Just then her phone went off. She checked the ID and answered.

"Jake, hey it's good to hear you, where are you?" She asked.

"I'm on my way home how bout you?" He asked

"Same here, I'm on the last bus. So what's up?" She asked as the bus stopped and let people on.

"You know with this weather we were thinking about canceling the party tonight." He explained.

"You can't do that, you put so much planning into it plus I was looking forward to the work." She said trying to change his mind.

"I understand but I've already had a few people cancel and it is starting to look bad out there. Oh, by the way Monday I will go out and look into getting a car." He responded.

"Well it sucks that people have canceled but you guys have to at least come by the pub for a scaled down party you know." She said tossing up other options.

"Sounds like a plan, I'll run it by whose left and we'll meet you at the pub." He said liking the plan.

"Great see you there I love you." She said.

"Love you too." With that they both hung up.

At the next stop a couple got on the bus that was visibly in the middle of an argument and sure enough as they sat down they started up. Kira kept telling herself that there was just one more stop and then she'd be home. As the couple's arguing got louder she turned up the volume on her mp3 player as she continued reading one of her research books. At the next stop a few people did get off and a few got on but the couple in the back was still there. After being threatened by the driver the two got quiet but it didn't last long. They started up again and this time they were taking harder verbal jabs at each other. Kira reached up and pulled the stop request cord and got ready to get off the bus.

As the bus came to a stop the woman ran off the bus with the man right behind her. Kira waited a second then started off the bus herself. As she stepped off the bus she turned and saw the man slap the woman.

"Leave her alone jerk." Kira yelled as she ran over to them.

"You stay out of this." The woman said as she picked herself up.

"How can you let him treat you like that?" Kira asked, stunned.

The woman then walked up to the man and threw a vicious back hand slap. Kira was impressed to say the least but she needed to find away to stop this before it got worse. The man retaliated by punching the woman again sending her to the ground. As she got up the woman pulled out a knife and lunged at the man, but before she could make contact they both found themselves in concrete cages. Kira had pulled out two gloves Jacob had given her and used them to stop the two.

"Sometimes I forget just how good an alchemist I am." Kira said bragging to herself.

It wasn't long before the police came and took the two into custody. Meanwhile Kira was up in her apartment getting changed for her job at the pub. One of her friends from the pub was going to pick her up, which was a godsend because the rain was already starting to come down hard.

Over at the pub people were starting to show up despite the weather outside. This was a testament to the kind of person William was. He was a likable guy whom everyone liked and respected. This night would be the last night they could all mingle and be friends for a while. For no one knows what the future will hold especially when you're in the military.

As she arrived, Kira was greeted with a hug and kiss from Jacob before getting right the work. To say the beer flowed like water was an understatement. In all actuality it flowed like water over a water fall. The buffet was an assortment of the usual fair; chicken wigs, sandwiches, fruit and vegetable samplers also some signature items from the pub like home made chips, potato halves, and several versions of nachos. Yes it was a well planned party indeed.

Outside the storm raged on causing the lights to flicker from time to time but all it did was add to the excitement.

"Ladies and gentlemen may I please have your attention." Jacob said as he stood on his chair to get everyone's attention.

"People we are gathered here tonight amongst this ungodly weather to celebrate my big brother Will and to help my girlfriend Kira make a fortune in tips. As many of you know my brother here is getting sent off to Fort Hughes…" That fact drew a unanimous groan from the crowd.

"… I know, I know, but this will prove just how good an officer he can be. I mean hell he's been ordering me around for years." This also drew a unanimous grown.

"But my god awful jokes aside I want to purpose a toast." He then lifted his glass.

"To my big brother William MacClenny, you've been my best friend, my sparing partner, my coach, and my body guard. You've helped me out so many times I've lost count and you were almost always there to cheer me up or bring me down a peg. You are one of the many people who have made me the man I am today. Here's to you bro, cheers." The audience responded with cheers and they all took a drink. William then stood up to give a speech, but as he did the lights cut out.

"Well I had a good speech, but it would be good if I could read it." With that the lights came back on.

"Now where was I? Ah, yes. Thank you all for braving the weather to come and see me off. It truly means a lot to me. To be honest when I got this assignment I was also taken aback. I mean I'm a complete newbie and they are sending to a place that has tension that is thicker than gravy. But when I found out why I was being sent there I felt, well flattered. Since then I have grown to welcome the challenge with open arms. Do I wish I had a cushy job like my brother? Hells yeah I do but I really don't mind this assignment but what makes this hard is leaving you guys. All of you have helped me out in your own way and I hope that your assignments will be good for you and your careers. I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for most of the people in this room. Thank you." With that the crowed cheered and the party continued as the congratulation line grew.

The night wore on and as the storm died down people started to leave. Kira was on a short break so after wishing William good luck she stole away to a corner of the pub with Jacob.

"That was a nice toast you gave your brother." She complimented.

"Yeah, I had been working on it all day but it's funny as soon as I lifted the glass I forgot all of it and had to improvise." He said which drew a slight chuckle from Kira.

"Well I thought it was nice." She said as she put her arms around his neck.

"Oh I'm going to get a car on Monday. It's about time I did you know." He said as he put his arms around her waist.

"About damn time, you know I'm going to be borrowing it from you." She grinned.

"Will you now?" He said as he pulled her closer.

The two then shared a passionate kiss before getting interrupted by the alarm on Kira's watch.

"Breaks over, I got to get back to work babe." She said as she gave him one quick kiss.

"If I don't see you this weekend remember to meet me at the train station on Monday morning ok." He said reminding her.

"Already there, later." With that she went back to work.

After the party Kira got a ride home from a friend while Jacob and Pete practically carried William to their apartment.

"Okay Will just because you're staying at our place tonight does not mean you can puke on our floor." Pete said.

"Don't worry I'm fine, just a bit tipsy." William said as he stumbled around.

"Sure you are." Jacob said with a tired tone of voice.

"Hey Jake you know I'm going to miss you right? So please, for my sake, don't get married while I'm gone. I mean Kira is a great chick so you better not let her get away from you, but I want to be here when you two get hitched alright." William said in a drunken stupor.

"Don't worry bro I won't for get about you. You just stay safe out there ok." He said as they made their way up to the apartment.

Once inside William passed out on the couch while Jacob and Pete made their way to their respected bedrooms.

To Be Continued.


	4. Chapter 4

State Alchemist and Soldiers

Chapter 4

A Full Metal Alchemist fan fiction

By Jaxson Jaguar

Okay time to get the particulars out of the way. I do not own anything even remotely related to the Full Metal Alchemist universe except for my own characters. Its original creator, Hiromu Arakawa, owns Full Metal Alchemist and the production studios BONES, Aniplex, Square-Enix, and Mainichi Broadcasting. Also to fully cover myself lets include the series director Seiji Mizushima and the broadcasters Animax, TBS, Bandai Channel, and again Mainichi Broadcasting. These guys own various portions of the Full Metal Alchemist franchise, not me.

Okay if you do not like fan fictions that have a lot of fan made characters with little or no interaction with the original characters you are going to hate this fan fiction. If you are fed up with fan fictions that have fan made characters hooking up with original characters totally chopping up the original story, you may like my work. Finally, if you have ever wondered what else is happening or happened in the world before, during, or after the adventures of the main characters maybe, just maybe, I can give you some idea.

That weekend the MacClenny brothers spent as much time as possible together before William was to leave Monday morning. On Saturday their parents stopped by to visit and they took a trip to Centrals historic district and they hit up the Central's Alchemy Museum and the History Museum. After the culture tour they decided to go and catch a baseball game. After the game the family headed down to the pub despite Jacobs protests. His parents insisted on going so they could see Kira but Jacob did not want to bother her while she was working especially if they went and were not put at one of Kira's tables.

"Mom really it's Saturday and god knows the pub will be packed. Even if we could get seated at one of Kira's tables she would be too busy to chat." Jacob pleaded.

"You know it's starting to sound like you don't want us to see our future daughter in-law working. Or are the uniforms at this establishment embarrassing?" Their mother said.

"No it's not that, I mean considering she wears a swim suit to her day job, it's just that she really likes working at the pub and I'd hate to give her supervisors any reason to think she was slacking off at work." Jacob explained.

"Wasn't she working last night during that party you threw for William?" Their father asked

"She was but they didn't get to stop and visit with each other till she was on break and then she went right back to work. Tonight being that it's Saturday and there is nicer weather she would be even busier." William added.

"Well I would still like to see her again, oh and why does she wear a swim suit to her day job?" Their mother asked referring to the statement Jacob made earlier.

"Oh during the day she works at a beach side convenient store down at the lake and she's allowed to wear a swim suit to work so she takes advantage of it." Jacob explained as if it was no big deal.

"Well I'm glad to know you trust her and that she can be trusted but she shouldn't have to work two jobs aren't you helping her out?" She continued.

"She doesn't mind the work, besides she's on break for the summer. I help her out when I can but remember I was working two jobs while I was studying for my State Alchemist exam. I'm glad I got my first pay check along with my pocket watch. But even though she is my fiancée we are not living together because we decided that it would interfere with her studies. That is primarily why we are getting married after she graduates." Jacob explained.

"No need to get all up tight, your mother and I are just concerned. You know we love Kira and we just want the best for you two." Their father added.

"But you know William when are you going to meet that special someone?" Their mother asked.

"Well it's been hard what with the academy and all. Plus I just got out of a relationship; I'm kind of taking a break till things settle down." William said defending himself.

"That's understandable, no need to start something while your life is chaotic." Their father replied.

Despite the protests of Jacob and William they still ended up going to the pub to eat, but not before they reached a compromise and convinced them to go later in the evening. By the time they arrived the pub was full but people were starting to leave in groups and the wait line was much smaller than what it would have been a few hours earlier. They didn't have to wait long before the hostess was able to sit them and their parents insisted that they be seated at one of Kira's tables, which they were.

As they were seated Jacob turned to the hostess who happened to be a friend of Kira's.

"Wendy could you please tell Kira that I'm sorry we came I tried to talk them out of it but they were instant. Also tell her to treat us like normal customers." Jacob pleaded.

"No worries, it hasn't been that bad tonight but I will pass on the warning for you." Wendy replied with a smile.

"Wendy you're a peach." Jacob said as he rejoined his family.

Across the pub Kira saw Jacob talking to her friend and made a bee line to her.

"What's Jake doing here?" She asked trying not to sound suspicious.

"His parents insisted on eating here. He wanted me to give you that warning. Are his parents that bad?" Wendy asked.

"No his parents are great I guess he knew that if they were here they'd distract me or something. God knows they'll want to talk." Kira replied complaining slightly.

"Well at least he's looking out for you. Good luck Kay." She said as she went back to her station.

"Thanks Winy." Kira said as she went to the table.

Kira put on her best and brightest smile and approached the table. As she introduced herself she noticed that Jacob kept saying, "I'm sorry," under his breath. Seeing this Kira took a deep breath and relaxed a bit.

"Jake don't worry about it, I got this. It's good to see you again Mr. and Mrs. MacClenny. I'm sorry that it can't be under better and more personal circumstances." Kira said.

"My how long has it been? You're certainty busy these days." Jacob's mother said.

"Yes ma'am I am and I hope you don't mind but I have other tables to wait." She explained trying to project a sense of urgency.

"So are you ready to order or do you need more time?" She asked getting back to business.

They went through the whole waitress/customer routine before she finally managed to tear herself away to tend to the other customers. She was good at what she did. In the span of a week she had already become a favorite among the customers. The women liked her because she wasn't overly flirty like other waitresses and she always kept questionably faithful boyfriends and husbands in their place. Men liked her because she could handle herself. She took no crap from anyone and on her first night she almost broke a guys hand because tried to cop a feel.

Some time passed before Kira reappeared with their food. She handed out the food to each person then pulled a chair from a nearby table and sat with them.

"Okay I'm on break for fifteen minutes." She said as she reached over and grabbed on of Jacobs fries.

"Well that's good to hear. I was worried we wouldn't get a chance to visit with you." Mrs. MacClenny said.

"Mom, this evening is for Will. There's really no need for this." Jacob pleaded.

"I agree, with all due respect Mrs. MacClenny tonight is for Will. Jake and I won't even start discussing our wedding plans until at least my junior year." Kira said as she reached over and held Jacob's hand.

"She's right Rebecca, their will be plenty of time for you to talk with her in the future." Mr. MacClenny said casting the deciding vote.

"Well it appears I have been overruled. All for the better I suppose I'm sorry but you all know how much I like seeing you Kira. I'll let you enjoy the rest of your break and expect a good sized tip dear." Rebecca said with a smile.

"Thank you Mrs. MacClenny. Will, I know I said this last night and I'll probably say it again on Monday, but good luck out there." Kira said as she stood up and put the chair back.

"Thanks Kira, I am going to need it." William said as he lifted his glass to her.

"Oh Kira before you go have you talked to your mother lately?" Rebecca asked as Kira started to walk off.

"Yeah I think I talked to her the other day." She replied.

"That's good; she's been feeling rather lonely lately." Rebecca said.

"I know I haven't called as much as I have been. Before I restart classes I'm going to go back to Risembool and visit for about a week or so." Kira explained.

"Well that's good I know she'll be looking forward to it." Rebecca added.

With that Kira went to the back and off to the break room while the MacClenny's went back to their meal.

"So tell me about this Fort Hughes you'll be stationed at." Mr. MacClenny requested.

"Well it's named after Brigadier General Maes Hughes and it's on the border between Amestris and Ishbal. Its mission is to police the border between the two countries and to keep the region stable." William described.

"It doesn't sound too bad. Keep your men and yourself inline and it should be a cake walk." Mr. MacClenny added.

"If only it was that simple. The tension there is still pretty thick and all incidents no matter how small have to be treated with extreme scrutiny." William said.

"I see, well this will defiantly be a good test. I know you will do well and who knows by the end of your tour there you might be walking out of there with captain bars." Mr. MacClenny added.

"Yeah it will be easy for him to get promoted. You know how many circles I'm going to have to make just to be promoted to first Lieutenant?" Jacob added.

"I guess it's safe to say the pressure is on both of us." William replied.

"Well no matter what I want you boys to know that we are very proud of both you." Rebecca said.

"Here's to you two, especially you Will." Mr. MacClenny said as he lifted his glass.

After some back and forth chit chat they decided it was time to leave. They said goodnight to Kira and left her a good sized tip as promised. After that the brothers walked their parents to the hotel and said goodnight. Their train was leaving early in the morning so they also tossed in their goodbyes and apologized for not being able to see William off on Monday. On the way back to William's apartment the two exchanged a light conversation.

"So I hear you're going to buy a car on Monday." William commented.

"I was but it won't be this Monday. I'll start looking on Monday but I won't buy anything till next payday." Jacob explained.

"I thought you had enough money saved up to put a down payment?" William asked.

"Yeah about that… You remember that party on Friday?" Jacob said sarcastically.

"Don't tell me you tapped out your savings account for that?" William asked.

"Not all of it, but there isn't enough left to put a down payment on a car." Jacob explained.

"You know you didn't have to, plus I'm surprised they didn't cut you a deal." William said as they boarded a bus.

"They did actually. They also thanked me for helping them with business." Jacob added.

"Well I hope things work out for you." William said.

"So they're sending you by train?" Jacob asked changing the subject.

"Yeah there are no airports and from what I hear there is a train station with in walking distance from the fort. I'm just glad they're not sending me by bus." William said slightly relieved.

"Train's pretty good; I took a train to get here and you before me." Jacob said.

"Hard to believe I had to be here for four years to get where I am where as you are here for four months. Now we are in the same pay grade." William noted.

"Hey the State Alchemist exams are no joke. You know not many people get it on the first try plus had I failed it would have been a year before I could retest." Jacob said defending his status.

"Yeah but I can't understand why they made you an officer. I mean it takes more than passing a test to lead people." William explained.

"It's not so much about leading as it is position. An officer gets treated differently and has more privileges than an enlisted person." Jacob attempted to explain.

"Well there is more to being an officer than that. One of these days you will have to lead a troop. Who knows you may fair ok in the long run." William said as the bus came to his stop

The both stepped off the bus and walked down to William's apartment building.

"You need a place to stay tonight or can you make it home?" William asked.

"I'll make it home. You need me to help you pack tomorrow?" Jacob asked.

"Not really, much of my stuff has already been shipped. I think I'll spend some time alone tomorrow maybe visit with some friends for awhile. But if you can make it over tomorrow that would be cool." William replied.

"Alright, if I don't see you tomorrow I'll see you bright and early Monday morning." Jacob added.

With that the two said their goodbyes and parted ways. Jacob walked a few blocks thinking about what William said about the responsibilities of an officer. Many thoughts followed one being if Edward Elric had an official rank. As he walked he realized he was near Kira's apartment building. As he walked by he saw Wendy pull up to drop off Kira.

"Jacob what are you doing out here?" Kira asked shocked to see he was walking.

"Just heading home, it was a nice night out tonight so I figured I'd walk." Jacob explained.

"You missed the last bus didn't you?" Kira asked not buying it.

"Yeah I did." Jacob confessed.

"I can give you a ride to your place." Wendy offered.

"You know you're free to stay the night. My roommates are off visiting family." Kira offered.

"Yeah that sounds like a plan. Thanks Wendy, have a safe drive home." Jacob said waving at Wendy.

"Thank you, goodnight you two." Wendy said as she drove off.

"I can't remember the last time I stayed over with you." Jacob said as they walked up to her apartment.

"Yeah it has been awhile hasn't it?" Kira said as she unlocked her door.

The next morning Jacob woke up. As he caught his bearings he looked over at Kira sleeping soundly. He then leaned over and gently kissed her. He then stepped out of bed and walked over to the window and looked out on the horizon.

"So what are you doing today? Are you going to spend more time with Will?" Kira asked as she started to wake up.

"Later to day perhaps. He said he wanted to visit with some friends today." Jacob replied.

"That's good, he needs time to say goodbye to his friends." Kira replied.

"Yeah, you're right. I guess it's just now sinking in that we will defiantly be going in separate directions." Jacob replied.

Kira stepped out of bed and put her arms around him from behind.

"I know it sounds selfish but you still got me." She said as she rested her head between his shoulders.

"It's not selfish at all. Thank you for being here Kira." Jacob said as he turned around and put his arms around her.

"You're very welcome Jake." She said as she returned his embrace.

To Be Continued.


	5. Chapter 5

State Alchemist and Soldiers

Chapter 5

A Full Metal Alchemist fan fiction

By Jaxson Jaguar

Okay time to get the particulars out of the way. I do not own anything even remotely related to the Full Metal Alchemist universe except for my own characters. Its original creator, Hiromu Arakawa, owns Full Metal Alchemist and the production studios BONES, Aniplex, Square-Enix, and Mainichi Broadcasting. Also to fully cover myself lets include the series director Seiji Mizushima and the broadcasters Animax, TBS, Bandai Channel, and again Mainichi Broadcasting. These guys own various portions of the Full Metal Alchemist franchise, not me.

Okay if you do not like fan fictions that have a lot of fan made characters with little or no interaction with the original characters you are going to hate this fan fiction. If you are fed up with fan fictions that have fan made characters hooking up with original characters totally chopping up the original story, you may like my work. Finally, if you have ever wondered what else is happening or happened in the world before, during, or after the adventures of the main characters maybe, just maybe, I can give you some idea.

* * *

It was early Monday morning when everyone gathered at the train station just outside of Central. Not much of a crowd it was just some of William's friends from the academy as well as Jacob, Kira, and Pete. Everyone took their turn either shaking William's hand, hugging him, or both. Kira gave him a big hug and a lit peck of a kiss on the cheek.

"Well Jake I guess it's going to be awhile." William said as Jacob approached him to give him the last personal goodbye.

"Not to much of one hopefully." Jacob responded as he extended his hand.

William started to shake his hand but then he pulled his little brother close and gave him a huge hug.

"Bye bro." William said softly.

"Take care of yourself out here ok." Jacob replied.

With that the two let go and William made his way on to the train. As the train started to pull out it was like a scene from an old movie as they all ran after it waving and saying goodbye before they ran out of platform.

As the train chugged on over the countryside William looked out his window and thought about the train ride he made when he first came to Central. It was much the same, along hard goodbye from those he loved and the inevitable bummed out feeling he felt right after. Unlike that trip this one was going to be a little longer so he tried not to dwell on it too much. To occupy his time he pulled out his laptop and started doing research on the region he was going to as well as the Ishbalans.

Back in Central, Jacob arrived at the workshop and started to brief the personnel that was assigned to him. They were mostly low ranking enlisted members from the regular military. However he was also assigned a second Lieutenant and a Sergeant. They were all standing at attention as he walked past them and looked over the roster. He then put them at ease and began the briefing.

"Well it's good to have you all here. I realize I may be younger than some of you and the exact same rank as one of you but despite that I am in charge of this workshop. I've read your files and all of you know some form of alchemy which is good. Your job will be to help me experiment with the various circles I come up with. However I test them out first. The way I see it if something were to happen I'd rather it happen to me. So mostly you guys will be drawing them and trying them out after I test them. I promise I will not do any less work than all of you. There may be times when I do more." He said.

"Now I'm pretty laid back and flexible so if you have appointments or other commitments let me know and I'll do my best to let you go. Work hours will vary depending on the projects but I'll will try to hold an eight hour work day but again that depends on the project." He added.

He then walked over to the bulletin board and started going over his latest creation.

"Now this here is probably the most elaborate circle I've made to date. The idea is to trap large-scale targets such as vehicles and personnel. That will be our specialty here. I don't want to create circles that are used to destroy, but I do realize that day may come and should it come I will be doing the work. So with that why don't you guys get settled into your work areas and will meet in the conference room to go over this circle." He said as he dismissed his troops.

"Lt. MacClenny, Sgt. Gregory and I would like to have a private meeting with you if that's alright." The Lieutenant said.

"That's fine right this way Lt. Hayakawa." Jacob said as he led them to his office.

Lt. Izumi Hayakawa, she was twenty-one years old, about the same height as Jacob, and she had long rather dusty brown hair that she put up in order to be within regulations. She had black eyes and was rather thin, but only because she regularly hit the gym. She was an accomplished Alchemist but chose instead to be an officer in the regular military. She was at first recommended to Jacob because he needed another officer. As soon as he read her file and her Alchemy background he immediately approved her.

Sgt. Franklyn Gregory was a rather tall, slightly muscular man of about twenty-five years old. He had blue eyes and red hair that was in a crew cut. He was also an accomplished Alchemist but despite his best efforts he could never pass the State Alchemist exam for one reason or another. But despite settling on being an enlisted member of the regular military he didn't seem to regret it and was still studying to one day pass the State Alchemy exam. Jacob learned of this when he talked to Sgt. Gregory's former supervisor. After hearing Gregory's story Jacob felt it would be good for him to join his group.

"Alright Lt. Hayakawa what's on your mind?" Jacob asked as he sat behind his desk.

"Well I'm not objecting to anything I look forward to working with you but I feel that we should go over the our duties in more detail. I didn't agree to this just to do intern work." She said trying to sound professional.

"I understand and you won't. Sgt. Gregory, you'll be in charge of the other enlisted members. If they have an issue they are to come to you and you are to see to it if at all possible. Really nothing out of the ordinary or anything you are not already use to. To be real honest this workshop belongs more to you and the other troops than me." Jacob said outlining what he expected from the enlisted members.

"I expected nothing less Lt. MacClenny." Gregory responded.

"Now as for your concerns Lt. Hayakawa trust, you are not here to do "intern" work. On the contrary you are to be my assistant." Jacob added.

"Your assistant?" She asked.

"Yes you are quit knowledgeable about Alchemy. It's a wonder you never tried the State Alchemist exam. I suspect you would have passed with flying colors." Jacob said as he looked over her file.

"Now as you know I make and test new circles. I need someone with your knowledge and skills to assist me." Jacob added.

"Understood thank you for clarifying." Hayakawa said in a disguised apology.

"Well now that, that is cleared up why don't you two get settled and will have our first project meeting after lunch." With that they were dismissed.

As they walked out of the office, Hayakawa started a conversation with Gregory.

"So what do you think of him?" Hayakawa asked.

"It's too early to really say but I can defiantly tell the difference between him and a regular officer." Gregory began to explain.

"How's that?" Hayakawa asked almost offended.

"Well you can tell he has had no formal training as a military officer. He acts more like the manager of a store than an actual officer. I'm curious to see if he can render a decent salute. But I do feel he has a lot to learn." Gregory continued to explain.

"I sense that too actually. I suspect I'll have to correct him in the future. I guess it's await and see kind of thing." She added.

With that the two went to their respected offices and began settling in.

It was early afternoon when the train pulled into the station near Fort Hughes. After collecting his bags William walked around a bit before he saw another Lieutenant holding a sign with his name on it.

"You waiting for me?" He asked as he approached the Lieutenant.

"2nd Lieutenant William MacClenny?" The Lieutenant asked.

"That's what they call me, please to meet you Lieutenant…" William said as he looked over to read the other Lieutenant's nametag.

"Oh I'm 2nd Lieutenant Tyler LeBlanc, I believe we spoke on the phone." He said as he shook William's hand.

Lt. Tyler Leblanc was a tall thin man with short slightly spiked blond hair and a dark complexion making him look like a misplaced surfer. He had brown eyes and was about twenty-three years old. He led William to his car, a small maybe three year-old two-door coupe.

"You sure these bags are going to fit?" William asked as Tyler opened the trunk.

"They should, if we have to we could just put one in the back." Tyler suggested as he tried to put the bigger one in the trunk.

"Yeah we may have to do that." He said after realizing the one suitcase was too big.

They managed to load the bags and were soon on their way to the base. The surrounding town wasn't that big but it was a growing city. There weren't many tall buildings but the buildings that were there were modern ones as well as a mall. As they left downtown the road split into two. One road led to the base the other led right into Ishbal, but not before you arrived at a very elaborate checkpoint.

The base itself was pretty interesting. On one side you had the fence that separated Amestris from Ishbal, then the base grew from that with another fence going around the perimeter of the base. The base itself was rather large with housing for soldiers with families, barracks for lower ranking enlisted members, and bachelor quarters for officers. There was a small flight line for the helicopters that were assigned to the base. The main offices were in the center of the base and the exchange was over near housing. The border fence was in the back and the nearest building was two hundred yards from the fence. They checked in with the division William was to be assigned to and began in processing.

A few hours later arrived at the quarters where William would be staying. It was a nice and spacious four-bedroom two-bath apartment. Tyler introduced William to the other two roommates and showed him to his room. The room was normal sized and didn't have much except for a bed, a nightstand, and a desk. William dropped his bags on the floor and flopped down on the bed.

The next day Tyler took him out and showed him around the base and the town. On the edge of town not far from the checkpoint there was a park that was next to the fence. The original idea was to promote friendship with the Ishbalans but the fence wasn't the only thing keeping the two cultures separated.

"I suspect you did some research on the history of this area and on the Isbalans right?" Tyler asked.

"That's right I did. I learned that the military took their land from them then fifty or so years ago they gave it back but only under the provision that the fort and fence be added to keep the countries separated." William explained.

"Very good but what about the Ishbalans themselves?" Tyler continued to quiz him.

"They believe in the God Ishbala, and consider Alchemy a sin punishable by banishment and excommunication." William answered.

"Well something you probably didn't know is that there are three types of Ishbalans. On group still hates us. They are religious fanatics who want nothing more than to have each non-Ishbalan man woman and child pay for the crimes that were committed against them in the past. Another group chooses to deny our very existence. They live further out in the dessert so they can further their belief that we do not exist and that there are only Ishbalans in this world. The third group is those who are trying to establish better relations with us. Of course all they want is friendship the idea of possible mixed marriages still is forbidden however with the third group the worst they will do is excommunicate and banish. The first group I told you about would kill both members." Tyler explained.

"Well there are people on this side of the fence who also fall into those categories." William pointed out.

"I suppose. If you think about it the same could be said about every culture." Tyler added.

As they walked they noticed and Ishbalan woman possibly in her late teens early twenties walking by the fence. She was a striking young woman. She wore traditional Ishbalan dress and had black hair, tanned brown skin and the distinguishable red eyes. As she walked by a group of hooligans noticed her and started harassing her. They pelted her with lewd comments and racial slurs but despite this she ignored them and went about her business.

"Bastards don't they have any manners out here." William said in disgust.

"Some people are like that you can't change the world." Tyler said.

William decided to do something about it. He walked over to the hooligans and demanded they stop.

"What gives you the right to say anything, last I checked this was a free country." One of the hooligans fired back.

"Yeah and what do you care she's just an Ishbalan." Another one spoke up.

"You know it's sad that in order to make yourself feel like you have a pair you have to harass a defenseless woman." William fired back.

"Oh big man, you want to take us all on. There are four of us and one of you, we'll give you one chance to walk away I suggest you take it." The lead hooligan said.

"Oh so you can count, from what I was seeing I wasn't sure you had that kind of intelligence." William said firing another verbal shot.

As the rest of the hooligans got ready to pounce on William one of them picked up a rock and hurled it at the woman. She saw this and winced but when nothing happened she looked up and saw that William had caught the rock and was now standing in front of her.

"Don't worry they won't hurt you so long as I'm here." William said looking back at her.

"Thank you." She said in a soft yet surprised tone.

Upon seeing this some other by standards stepped up to confront the hooligans. As the group formed up the hooligans fled and the crowed dispersed.

"Are you alright?" William asked as he turned to face the woman.

"I'm fine, I'm use to it." She replied with a smile on her face.

"I'm sorry there are people like that on this side of the fence. If it weren't for people like that there wouldn't be a fence here." William said.

"Even if there wasn't people like that there would still be a fence." She said.

"May ask your name?" William asked.

"I'm Akeela." She answered.

"I'm William." He replied.

"Thank you again for your kindness William." She said

With that she started walking away.

"Will, whatever you're thinking stop. She's an Ishbalan, it would be better for her if this was your only encounter understood." Tyler said as he put his hand on William's shoulder.

"Yeah I hear you." William said with a hint of reluctance.

"Good now lets head back." Tyler said as he led him back to his car.

Back in Central, Pete met up with Jacob at the Military Library to report on his efforts to obtain the Full Metal Alchemist's files.

"So you're telling me there is no way even you can get to those records?" Jacob said.

"Yeah the security is tighter than I thought. First off the combination for the lock changes after each use, secondly only a select few have access to the computer that updates the code and that computer is kept under tighter security because it hold other Top Secret and Classified information." Pete explained.

"So it's a lost cause." Jacob said disappointed.

"Seems that way, but you know if the security is that tight maybe we shouldn't know what's in there." Pete suggested.

"On one hand I want to agree with you but on the other I still want to know more about the Full Metal Alchemist. That information should be seen b the public. What are they hiding?" Jacob wondered.

"Maybe the philosopher stone?" Pete suggested.

"That may very well be their only reason, that and why the Elrics seemingly disappeared from the face of the earth." Jacob theorized.

"Well I would say that some secrets are better left berried but I can tell you won't let this up. With that said I just ask that you please not do anything that could get you a court martial." Pete pleaded.

"Don't worry about me. I suspect that one day we all will know the truth behind the Elric brothers." Jacob said.

Meanwhile on the upper level of the library two people were watching the two State Alchemist talk.

"Think one of them has potential, don't you agree?" The person asked.

"Perhaps but we best be careful, his potential could very well be to destroy us as apposed to helping us." The other said.

"You have a point, I suppose all we can do for now is watch." The first one agreed.

To Be Continued

End of Part One


	6. Chapter 6

State Alchemist and Soldiers

Chapter 6

Part Two

A Full Metal Alchemist fan fiction

By Jaxson Jaguar

Okay time to get the particulars out of the way. I do not own anything even remotely related to the Full Metal Alchemist universe except for my own characters. Its original creator, Hiromu Arakawa, owns Full Metal Alchemist and the production studios BONES, Aniplex, Square-Enix, and Mainichi Broadcasting. Also to fully cover myself lets include the series director Seiji Mizushima and the broadcasters Animax, TBS, Bandai Channel, and again Mainichi Broadcasting. These guys own various portions of the Full Metal Alchemist franchise, not me.

Okay if you do not like fan fictions that have a lot of fan made characters with little or no interaction with the original characters you are going to hate this fan fiction. If you are fed up with fan fictions that have fan made characters hooking up with original characters totally chopping up the original story, you may like my work. Finally, if you have ever wondered what else is happening or happened in the world before, during, or after the adventures of the main characters maybe, just maybe, I can give you some idea.

* * *

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, we've worked on this damn thing for a month. It's time for the ultimate test." Jacob said as he stood in the center of a large transmutation circle.

Today was the day, after a month of tests and trials the first Transmutation Circle Jacob had made for the military was ready to be demonstrated in front of the top brass. They had done many tests to make sure that the circle did not react to anything that was in the center. The last thing they wanted to do was to accidentally cause a human transmutation. It wasn't long before the top brass entered the workshop. Lt. Colonel Riza Mustang, who had more riding on this than Jacob, led them in.

"Thank you all for coming today." Jacob began.

"I am 2nd Lt. Jacob MacClenny, the Transmutation Circle Alchemist, and these are my troops who, if it wasn't for their help, we would not be having this meeting today. Now allow me to explain. We are pretty much working on the notion, build a better mousetrap. Well that is what we set out to do; of course we're going after something bigger than mice. Now as you can see I am standing in the center of a rather large transmutation circle, one of my more elaborate ones at that. Also we have two separate circles jutting out to the side. This is so the circle can be activated from a safe distance while the target or targets are led to the center.

Now with that said this circle is best suited for sting operations. You would lure the target into the circle and then two hidden agents would activate their respected circles and…" With that Jacob gave the signal to two of his men who then proceeded to activate their circles

As the alchemic reaction began a blue light with blue sparks ran down the line from each adjacent circle to the main circle. Once activated the main circle went to work making a large stone dome shaped cage form around Jacob, all the while nothing was happening where Jacob was standing. Soon the demonstration ended with the stone cage closing off at the top.

Once it was finished, Jacob and his troops got a resounding applause from their guests.

"Any questions?" Jacob asked.

After being let out of the cage and answering some questions, Jacob let his troops go for the day. However Lt. Hayakawa stayed back to mingle with the top brass.

"Well Lt. MacClenny you did it. I knew you had it in you. Now you understand you have now set the bar and the next demonstration needs to meet or exceed." Lt. Colonel Mustang noted.

"Don't worry I've already got some ideas I'm ready to get started on." Jacob replied.

"I must admit though I was worried that you would accidentally cause a human transmutation." She said.

"Well to be honest at first I had the same fears but once I stepped into that circle the first time a few days ago I knew it was ready." He explained.

"Your confidence is amazing. I best get going, I look forward to your next demonstration." She said.

They both snapped to attention and rendered salutes before Riza turned and excited the workshop.

"Well Jake I must say if I had any doubts today's demonstration washed them all away." Izumi said.

"Thanks. The others said they were going to the pub to celebrate, my fiancé is going to be there also. You're more than welcome to join us." Jacob said as he started putting some things away.

"Thank you for the invitation, but I'll pass." Izumi said as she straightened out her desk.

"Hey common it's a victory party it wouldn't be the same with out you." Jacob said egging her on.

"Alright I guess I could at least go for a little bit. I suppose it would be rude of me if I didn't." Izumi said giving in.

"Well then it's settled." Jacob said as he walked to the door and started turning out the lights.

They locked up and Jacob gave her a ride to the pub where they met up with the others and Kira. The group raised their drinks to a job well done and enjoyed the evening.

Over at Fort Hughes the sun was starting to set behind the distant desert mountains as William stood at the fence in the park.

"I'm glad to see you made it." Akeela said as she approached the fence.

"Have I yet to be late?" He asked with a wide smile on his face.

"No I think that's one of the things I like about you." She said with a smile just as wide.

Every week the two would get together at the spot where they first met. The only problem was that they had to stay on their respected sides of the fence. It was risky enough that a soldier from Amestris and a girl from Ishbal were meeting each other. So thanks to the fence despite what the two wanted they were forced to just be friends.

"You know if you were to convert to Ishabala they would let you come over and we could be together." She suggested as she handed him a cake she baked.

"I would in a heart beat you know that, but if I do that I give up my citizenship and I would be discharged from military service. On top of that, don't forget my brother is not only an alchemist but also a State Alchemist. That may be an issue in and of itself." He said as he took a bite of the cake.

"Wow this cake is delicious." He said.

"Thank you it's an old recipe. But I understand how you feel, but at least it makes me happy to know that you would be willing to convert." She said.

"Of course, besides I couldn't ask you to convert because there isn't much to convert too. I mean I believe in god but I'm not overtly religious." He explained.

"That's true. I mean if you were overly religious you wouldn't be talking to me." She added.

"You know I would like to meet your brother and his fiancé." She said.

"Yeah you would like them. I mean if you look past the fact that they are both alchemists they are really good people. I'm sure you would friends with them instantly." He said.

"Well from the stories you've told me there is no doubt that I would." She said.

They continued with their meeting until dark. As the lamps started to flicker on they said their goodbyes and again parted ways. As he walked back toward his car he noticed an old Ishbalan man standing under a lamp.

"You haven't done anything wrong but that doesn't mean I approve of you seeing her." The old man said.

"May I help you sir?" William said as he stopped to face the man.

"Akeela is my daughter, and I do not approve of her associating with a soldier of Amestris. " He said.

"I understand your concerns sir, I also realize that there is more than a fence that separates us. I know full well how futile it would be if I even attempted to have a romantic relationship with her." William explained.

"But if you could you would?" He said.

William chose not to respond to the question directly. Instead he chose a different approach.

"Officers are trained to not only be an effective and good leader but male officers are also encouraged to be gentlemen, hence the term an officer and a gentleman." William said as he began to walk away.

"I'm not like many Isbalans as you can tell. I belong to a more progressive sect, however I still look down on alchemy and those who practice it. I am also a concerned parent. I can tell you are in fact a gentleman but times being the way they are if you two continue this it will only end up hurting you both. I do wish things could be different but that is the way it is my boy." He explained.

The words were true, they were also words that deep down William didn't want to hear or admit to.

"Sir if you don't mind me asking, what is your name?" William asked as he turned around and looked back at the man.

"I am Djimon Barack and you?" He asked.

"I'm 2nd Lieutenant William MacClenny. I'm sure that in my life time I will see this fence come down in the name of peace and then I will prove myself worthy of your approval so that I might peruse a relationship with your daughter." With that William walked away.

Standing behind a tree a few feet away Akeela heard everything. It was when she head William's statement that her heart skipped a beat and her face glowed with happiness. She quickly got a hold of herself and continued back to her home.

The next day at the State Alchemist records department, Jacob stood outside of the room where the records of Edward Elric were kept. He stood there and it ached for him to know that all he had to do was use the right transmutation circle and he could enter that room and read the files.

"I know what your thinking, Jake and you need to stop." Pete said as he walked up behind him.

"I know, I know, but like I said for every Alchemist who has ever grown up in Risembool, those files transcend the Philosopher Stone. I would go so far as to say that it is in fact the Holy Grail of Alchemy?" Jacob said with a look of hopeful determination in his eyes.

"Forget it Transmutation Circle Alchemist, it will be a long time before they even consider giving you access to that room." Pete said trying to bring Jacob back down to earth.

"Alright Green Alchemist, no need to shoot me down before I even gets off the ground." Jacob said in an annoyed tone.

"By the way how the hell did you get the title "The Green Alchemist"?" Jacob asked.

"Well my specialty is plants and of all the agricultural alchemist out there Green was the only name available." Pete explained.

"I see." Jacob said as he sighed and started to walk out of the records department.

He walked a little was down the hall before someone walked up to him. She was a short brown haired girl with emerald green eyes. She was wearing a regular army uniform and was ranked as a corporal.

"May I help you corporal?" He asked.

"I noticed you walked out of the classified records room. You wouldn't happen to be trying to find information on something like the Philosopher Stone would you?" She asked in a light Irish accent.

"The Philosopher Stone doesn't interest me in the least. To be honest I feel that all information regarding that blasphemous stone should be destroyed." Jacob stated.

"Wow, you feel pretty strongly about that don't you." She said a little taken back.

"It's just best not to play god." Jacob said as he began to walk away.

"You do know that if they were to go your way they would end up destroying a majority of the Elric files." She said in an attempt to provoke him.

"What do you know about the Elric files?" He asked as he spun around.

" I know some, not a lot but some. I do know that they had in their position an actual Philosopher Stone." She teased.

"Alright who are you and where did you get this information." He demanded.

"So you are interested? Well I best take my leave for now. I got the information I came for. We will meet again Lt. MacClenny." With that she walked away leaving Jacob dumbfounded.

She walked out the back into an ally to meet up with her accomplice. He was a rather tall, handsome looking man standing in the shadows wearing all black.

"You were right Lust, he may deny it but he seems very interested in the Stone." She said.

"Good work Greed. Stay on him in case he either forgets or decides to be firm on his anti stance." He said in a rather debonair tone of voice.

"You know I could always watch him. In fact I could do a better job." A woman with a southern accent said.

"Well there is no doubt that you could Envy, however despite your abilities you don't have all the means to move about the halls of the Military like Greed does. With that said whenever he is out in public he is all yours. While he's within the confines of a military establishment Greed will be doing the legwork." Lust explained.

"You can count on me Lust." Greed proudly proclaimed.

"I have no doubt. Keep me posted on what goes on. In the meantime I'll let the others know as soon as I see them." Lust added.

"I wish we didn't have to include Pride. I don't trust her on bit." Envy proclaimed.

"Be that as it may she is still one of us despite what you may think. As is Gluttony, Wrath, and Sloth." Lust explained.

"Just because she is one of us doesn't mean I have to trust her. But I will for your sake Lust." Envy commented.

"Fair enough. Now both of you get back to work. We'll meet at the usual place tonight." Lust said.

With that the three latest generations of Homunculi dispersed. There have been and perhaps always will be Homunculi. For as long as there are alchemists who attempt to play god and revive the dead there will always me Homunculi.

The Philosopher Stone was defiantly something Jacob knew about. Every Alchemist worth his or her salt knew about the stone. When Jacob first started showing signs that he could be a prodigy in the field of Alchemy he was warned of the stone. Since then he despised the very idea of its existence. However there were times when he felt that his fascination with Transmutation Circles would one day lead him to a circle that worked the same way as a Philosopher Stone. He chose not to think about it and hoped that his research would never take him in that direction.

As for Homunculi he didn't think they actually existed, however that is not to say that he wasn't naive to the possibility that some foolish upstart couldn't handle the death of a loved one and decided to try and bring them back unaware of the consequences of their actions. So in the back of his mind as much as he didn't want to believe it he knew that they might exist.

As he and Pete walked out of the records department his mind started to drift causing him to space out as they walked.

"Jacob you okay?" Pete asked.

"Yeah I just got lost in thought that's all." He said snapping back to reality.

"Who was that girl?" He asked.

"Not sure, from the look of her uniform she's probably assigned to an office." Pete replied.

"I wonder how she knew that much about the Elrics and the Philosopher Stone?" Jacob wondered.

"Who knows? Perhaps she over heard a conversation someone with access to the room was having. She didn't seem like she had actually seen the files first hand though." Pete added.

"Maybe you're right but still it just feels strange. I mean like lately I having the feeling I was being followed. I don't mean to sound paranoid but seriously it's creeped me out on a few occasions you know." Jacob explained.

"You've probably just been working to hard. Why don't you take a week of leave and spend it with Kira before classes start back up." Pete suggested.

"Oh I plan to. Her and me have plans to go back to Risembool next week. It's going to be odd without Will, but we need to get out of the city if only for a few days." Jacob said as he stretched.

"Well from what you have told me you need it. Well I'll talk to you later." Pete said as he walked away.

Jacob continued on his way but as he did he couldn't help but look over his shoulder.

"You will help us Transmutation Circle Alchemist. One way or another we will achieve our goals with your help." Envy said to herself while in disguise.

To be continued.


	7. Chapter 7

State Alchemist and Soldiers

Chapter 7

Part Two

A Full Metal Alchemist fan fiction

By Jaxson Jaguar

Okay time to get the particulars out of the way. I do not own anything even remotely related to the Full Metal Alchemist universe except for my own characters. Its original creator, Hiromu Arakawa, owns Full Metal Alchemist and the production studios BONES, Aniplex, Square-Enix, and Mainichi Broadcasting. Also to fully cover myself lets include the series director Seiji Mizushima and the broadcasters Animax, TBS, Bandai Channel, and again Mainichi Broadcasting. These guys own various portions of the Full Metal Alchemist franchise, not me.

Okay if you do not like fan fictions that have a lot of fan made characters with little or no interaction with the original characters you are going to hate this fan fiction. If you are fed up with fan fictions that have fan made characters hooking up with original characters totally chopping up the original story, you may like my work. Finally, if you have ever wondered what else is happening or happened in the world before, during, or after the adventures of the main characters maybe, just maybe, I can give you some idea.

* * *

The train ride from Central to Risembool didn't take that long. The bullet train made it seem like no time at all. Sure there was an interstate highway that connected the two also but the train ride, all be it faster, still provided good scenery. Besides Jacob and Kira wouldn't need his car in Risembool anyway.

Risembool was able to maintain its old small town feel over the years. All the shops were still located in the center of town along with the city hall and the courthouse. At one end of the town was Alchemist Park, which featured a statue of the Elric brothers at the entrance. The centerpiece of the park was an elegant water fountain dedicated to Trisha Elric, the mother of Edward and Alphonse. It also happened to be the place where Jacob and Kira shared their first kiss.

Upon arriving Jacob and Kira collected their luggage and were met by Jacobs dad just outside the station.

"Hey dad, have you been waiting long?" Jacob asked.

"No, you guys actually got here a little early." Mr. MacClenny said as he popped the trunk.

"That's good to hear, once the train started to slowdown around the mountains we were starting to worry we'd be late." Kira said as she helped load the bags.

They then exchanged hugs before getting into the car and driving off.

"Sorry your parents couldn't come Kira. They were busy over at the clinic." Mr. MacClenny said as they pulled out of the station.

"That's alright, I expected as much. I heard that they've been busy lately." Kira added.

"Well the town is getting bigger. Word is that they will have to expand the clinic soon." Mr. MacClenny speculated.

"Isn't there going to be a new hospital opening up soon though?" Jacob asked.

"Yes but it's going to be a children's hospital with a special wing dedicated to automail. Yes they will finally be something else named after Winry Rockbell. I think this will suit her memory better than the machinery shop at the high school." Mr. MacClenny responded.

"You know considering all she did for this town you would think that more things would be named after her." Kira added.

"Yes but she wouldn't want it that way. Remember that the things in this town that are named after the Elrics were so because of her. She made damn sure no one forgot those two." Mr. MacClenny explained.

After a few more minutes of catching up they stopped by Kira's parents house and dropped her off. Jacob helped take her bags into her house before leaving her with a kiss, a hug, and a promise to meet up for dinner. Jacob and his dad continued on to their house. Once there Jacob took his things up to his old room which was the way he left it, only cleaner and more spacious than he remembered. This was mostly due to the fact that he took a lot of his stuff with him to Central.

"You know I haven't been gone that long and yet it seems like years." Jacob said as he paced around his room.

"Its like that for me and your mother as well. But that's how it I suppose. I'm going to head back to the shop and help your mother close for the day. You just kick back and relax for now. But if you absolutely have to do something could you get the grill ready in the back yard?" Mr. MacClenny said anticipating the fact that Jacob got bored easily.

Over at the Baker household, Kira was looking over her old room. Her room was the same way as Jacobs room only she had left more things behind.

"Hey I'm home." A voice said down stairs.

"Leah, that you?" Kira asked as she stepped out of her room.

"Well the prodigal sister returns. When did you get back?" Leah asked.

Leah was the second oldest of the Baker children. Kira was the oldest of the five Baker children. At sixteen years old her sister Leah, was second then Leah's twin brother Terrence. Followed up by her youngest brother, thirteen year-old Leon, and finally the youngest, eight year old Kayla.

Leah was about the same height as Kira, she wore glasses and had blue eyes, dark brown hair with pink streaks, and rather fair skin. Her hair was well kept and had two braided strands joined in the back by a red bow. All and all she was rather cute but Kira was never going to admit that her younger sister looked better than she did.

"So K-bay when did you get in?" Leah asked as she took off her shoes at the door.

"Not too long ago, Jacob's dad gave me and him a ride from the train station." She explained.

"So you're still seeing him. Well I suppose considering you did follow him to Central." Leah teased.

"I did not follow him we were both going to the same place anyway. If anything he was following his brother and I just happened to be going in the same direction. By the way it's still summer break why are you wearing your school uniform?" Kira asked in an attempt to change the subject.

"Oh this? Today was a Summer Service day. I didn't mind so much I had to help plan for the Sports Fest plus I had a club meeting." She explained.

The female warm weather school uniform for Elric High School consisted of a red skirt with black and gold trim; the shirt was gold with black and red trim.

"Summer Service days, clubs, Sports Fest. I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss those days." Kira said nostalgic.

"Doesn't your college have clubs?" Leah asked as she went up to her room to change.

"There are a few but when I'm in school I'm too busy with school to join. On top of that I got a part time job over summer break that I'm thinking about keeping when the next semester starts up." She explained

"So you're going to keep working at the pub?" Leah asked.

"Yeah, the owners are good people, the pay is good, and I have a lot of friends there. It's more worth while than joining a club." Kira continued.

"You have a point there. Hey I hope you don't mind but I can't go eat at the MacClenny's tonight. Me and some friends were going to get together later." Leah said as she walked out of her room. She kept her hair the same but was now wearing a pink skirt and a black top with a sakura petal design going across the front.

"So where's your twin and the brats?" Kira asked.

"Terry said he had summer football practice then he was going to hang out with some friends. He said he'd meet everyone at the MacClenny's later. Let's see Leon is at a friends house and so is Kayla." With that Leah left to go meet up with your friends.

Kira then decided to pass the time by unpacking. As she put some clothes away she noticed two old pictures on her dresser that seemed like they got lost in the shuffle of her other pictures. One was an old picture of her Great Grandmother Rose. It was one of the few color pictures they had of her when she was still rather young. In the picture she was probably in her mid to late thirties but she still had her jet-black hair with dark pink bangs and a smile that seemed to glow no matter how old the picture. In the other picture she was much older. It was one of the last pictures taken of her. In it she was sitting in her favorite chair with Kira, whom was maybe five or six at the time, curled up taking a nap next to her. In the picture her hair had turned gray leaving no sign of the black or the pink but she still had that smile. Kira took one look at the date on the picture and realized Rose died a few months later.

"I'll make sure I come visit you and Granny Winry tomorrow okay." Kira said as she kissed the picture and put it back on the dresser.

Over at Fort Hughes William had been called before the Commanding Officer of the Post. Apparently just talking with an Ishbalan will get you noticed. Having several visits and chats with an Ishbalan will get you an audience with the Post Commander. As he stood at attention in front of the Colonel the room was silent.

"At ease; Lt. MacClenny do you know why you are here?" The Colonel asked.

"I believe I have an idea sir." William responded.

"Enlighten me Lieutenant." The Colonel requested.

"It's because of my friendship with the Ishbalan woman." William replied.

"Do you realize that your "friendship" with that Ishbalan woman is potentially dangerous? At least I can say that at the very least you are being civil and are staying on your side of the fence. Trust me I have had to deal with and thus make examples of worse. I hope I'm stopping this at the ground floor because I would hate for you to ruin your career." The Colonel added.

"Sir, permission to speak freely." William requested.

"Permission granted, Lieutenant." The Colonel replied.

"Sir with all due respect I understand the situation here. I've seen and heard how the people of this town and the Ishbalan's react to each other. There are days when I feel we need another layer of fence. But when I'm talking to her I feel some progress can be made. I've even met her father and apparently he is part of a more progressive sect that wants to work towards peace." William explained.

"By chance what is her fathers name?" The Colonel asked.

"He goes by the name of Djimon Barrack." William replied.

"I believe I've heard of him, his group is in fact trying to bring about some kind of peace. The problem is that his group is still in the minority. At any rate you haven't done anything wrong and it seems that you understand the situation enough that you can act responsible. Now what you do on your own time is fine as long as no one gets hurt. But I must warn you if you value your career you will keep your distance. That is all, you are dismissed." With that, William rendered a salute and walked out of the office.

As he walked out a female Lt. Colonel stopped him.

"Lt. MacClenny, a quick word if you will." She asked.

"Yes ma'am?" He asked as he turned and faced her.

"I hope your audience with the Commander went as well as it could be given the circumstances." She said.

"It wasn't as bad as I thought but it shows that I should be more careful." He replied.

"Well in this place of all places one can never be too careful, but confidentially I wish there were more people like you. If there were then we wouldn't need the fence. But then we wouldn't need the military either so it is a bit of a conundrum if you will." She said with a smile.

"I supposed you have a point there." He said in agreement.

"You know if you happen to become better acquainted with Barrack then we may have to make you a special envoy for peace talks. But time will tell on that." She said.

"I'm glad to know you think so highly of me ma'am." He said slightly flattered.

"Well I'll let you be on your way then. Take care Lieutenant." She said as she started to walk away.

"Ma'am may I ask you something?" He asked.

"Yes? What is it?" She asked as she turned back around.

"If you don't mind me asking, what's wrong with your eye?" He asked referring to the eye patch on her left eye.

"Oh this? My eye got infected sometime ago, I'm wearing this while it is being treated." She replied.

"Oh that sucks, well I hope you pull through and that it doesn't have to be permanent." He added.

"Well sorry to keep you." William said as he turned and walked away.

With that the Lt. Colonel walked into the restroom, checked it then locked the door. She then walked to a mirror and took off the eye patch revealing the Ouroboros symbol on her eye. She then pulled out her phone and made a call.

"Yes just reporting in, things are in motion here. If anything I'd say we are ahead of schedule." She reported.

"I don't need any help, plus you know Gluttony would just draw too much attention." She added.

"Okay I can handle Sloth, Wrath might be an issue but then again he would be easier to handle than Gluttony." She explained.

"Don't worry Dante I'll keep you posted." She said as she hung up the phone.

"Dante don't you dare underestimate me or get in my way. I'm not the loyal dog the last Pride was." She said as she put her patch back on and walked out of the restroom.

As he stepped out of the building and towards his car he noticed that Tyler was waiting for him.

"So how was the ass chewing?" Tyler asked.

"It went better then I thought he didn't seem as mad as I thought but I got the impression that I better watch myself from now on." William explained.

"Well that goes without saying. You know your troops like you I'd hate to see what would happen if you were to receive disciplinary actions for seeing that girl." Tyler said as they walked towards the parking lot.

"Trust me I will not do anything foolish. Besides we are just friends, we both know and understand that we cannot be anything but." William explained.

"Well as long as you two fully understand that. Word is that tensions are starting to get strained… Again." Tyler informed him.

"What do you mean?" William asked as he walked to his car.

"Intelligence has reported that some of the more fanatical Ishbalan's are starting to whisper, if you get my drift." Tyler explained.

"Since you put it that way I guess I should tell Akeela that we should keep our distance until this whole thing calms down." William thought.

"That sounds like a reasonable course of action. Let me know how that goes, I'll see you later." With that Tyler walked over to his car and drove off.

Back in Risembool the MacClenny family and the Baker family gathered for a cook out at the MacClenny's house to welcome home Jacob and Kira. It was mostly just close immediate family but a few of their friends showed up as well. Leah did in fact manage to make it and she brought some of her friends with her. Everyone was having a good time getting caught up, exchanging stories, and Jacob showing off his Alchemic skills, and Kira giving miniature lectures on medical alchemy. Once the food was served Jacob and Kira stole away to the porch swing on the back porch.

"So you going to come to the cemetery with me tomorrow?" Kira asked.

"Of course I am. You don't even have to ask." Jacob replied.

"Thanks. I'm going to be visiting someone else while I am there?" She added.

"Who?" He asked.

"My Great Grandmother Rose. I found some old pictures of her and I felt I should really go visit her grave as well." She explained.

"That's nice, I never knew my great grand parents, plus all my close loved ones are still alive." He added.

"You're very lucky. But I'm glad you'll be there with me." She said as she leaned up against him and looked up at the stars.

"Beautiful isn't it?" He asked.

"I can't believe I forgot what a truly clear night sky looked like." He added.

"It never looks the same. No matter how many times you look it is never totally the same. At least that's my theory." She said.

To Be Continued.

* * *

Okay a few quick notes. I know this story is going slow but I'm doing it on purpose to build things up. Also I felt I needed to make more of a connection to the source material so I revealed that Kira is the Great Grand Daughter of Rose, on her mothers side. I chose the colors for Elric High School based on the Red and Black uniform Ed wore and the Gold came from the color of his eyes. Now I would like to apologize to my female readers in that I do not know women's clothes very well. I racked my brain trying to come up with an outfit idea for Leah and that was the best I could do so suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Oh and I decided to model Elric High School after a typical Japanese school. Well till next time keep reading and reviewing. 


	8. Chapter 8

State Alchemist and Soldier

Part Two

Chapter 8

A Full Metal Alchemist fan fiction

By Jaxson Jaguar

Okay time to get the particulars out of the way. I do not own anything even remotely related to the Full Metal Alchemist universe except for my own characters. Its original creator, Hiromu Arakawa, owns Full Metal Alchemist and the production studios BONES, Aniplex, Square-Enix, and Mainichi Broadcasting. Also to fully cover myself lets include the series director Seiji Mizushima and the broadcasters Animax, TBS, Bandai Channel, and again Mainichi Broadcasting. These guys own various portions of the Full Metal Alchemist franchise, not me.

Okay if you do not like fan fictions that have a lot of fan made characters with little or no interaction with the original characters you are going to hate this fan fiction. If you are fed up with fan fictions that have fan made characters hooking up with original characters totally chopping up the original story, you may like my work. Finally, if you have ever wondered what else is happening or happened in the world before, during, or after the adventures of the main characters maybe, just maybe, I can give you some idea.

* * *

A warm breeze swept over the rolling hills of Risembool as some random clouds floated through the late summer sky. The smell of freshly cut grass filled the air of the cemetery covering up the smell of the orchids that bloomed along the fence. Jacob and Kira pulled up to the parking lot of a nearby church just as the grounds keeper was unlocking the gate.

It was still early so it wasn't too hot, but there was just enough sunlight to make the black clothes they wore that much hotter. Jacob wore a black t-shirt, black jeans, and some black sneakers that he made sure to clean before they left. Kira wore a black baby doll t-shirt with a black dress. In her arms she carried two sets of roses, yellow roses for Winry and pink roses for her Great Grandmother Rose. One other thing she did, as a tribute to both of them was she dyed her hair black and her bangs pink in honor of her Great Grandmother. To honor Winry she wore her hair the same way she did, a pony tail in the back and two long strands hanging down from the sides of the bangs.

They entered the cemetery and made the trek to the center where the two graves they were to visit stood. The first reached the grave of Rose. Her headstone was simple, just a small rectangular slab of polished granite with a few kind words on it. That's all she really wanted and it matched her personality. But her biological children as well as many of her foster children put their money together and reserved the area around her grave for family only. They had a small white picket fence put up and in the back center they erected a statue of an Angle with her wings wrapped around a group of sleeping children. That is how all her children saw her and despite her protest they felt it was an appropriate memorial to their mother and Grand Mother.

Kira entered in and placed the pink roses in a small stone vase behind her head stone. She then proceeded to kiss the head stone then curl up on the grass next to the grave. As she lay there with her head resting on her arm, tears started to slowly run down her cheeks. Jacob stood outside the fence with the yellow roses.

"Jacob." Kira said as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Yes?" He replied softly but loud enough for her to hear.

"If we ever have a girl, I want to name her Rose." She said.

"You didn't even have to ask." He said with smile.

"Yeah but I wanted to make it official." She said with warm smile.

After a few minutes Kira managed to pick herself up and brush off the grass. Before she left she said one more goodbye to her Great Grand Mother.

Winry's grave wasn't far away, just a short walk up the path. Like with Rose, the area around Winry's grave and memorial was fenced off with only close family members buried inside. The fence was made out of the same metal used for automail with a brass plaque on the gate. Unlike Rose Winry didn't mind having a memorial as a headstone. Before she died she said she would like something that would standout so if Ed and/or Al ever came back they would know where to lay flowers.

Those closest to her took her words to heart when they made the statue. The made an angel with one regular wing and one automail wing. In one hand the angel held a toolbox and in the other she held aloft a lantern. Everyday at dusk, rain or shine, the lantern would start blinking the mores code for "come home". As soon as it got dark it would stop blinking and just be a steady beam of light.

Kira slowly approached the grave and placed the flowers at the feet of the angel. She then stepped back and leaned against Jacob as he placed his arm around her and held her close.

"You know she never gave up hope that the Elrics would someday return." Jacob said.

"No she didn't. I remember you always wanted to hear her stories of those two." Kira added.

"Yeah, all she had to do was just walk over to the book shelf and I knew that she was going to pull out that old scrap book and tell us a story." Jacob explained.

"Jacob, promise me you'll never disappear like Ed and Al." Kira said as she looked deep into his eyes.

"Kira…" He began as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I made you that promise when I gave you that ring, and you solidified it when you accepted it. If anything like what happened to to them ever happened to me trust that I would try until my last breath to get back to you." He said as he held her tight not wanting to let go.

"I'm going to hold you to that." She responded as she leaned in and kissed him.

With that they said a final round of goodbyes to Winry and Rose before heading back to the car.

Later that day Kira was sitting on her couch reading a book for one of her classes when her brother Terrence attempted to sneak into the house.

"You know when other people sneak into a house they usually don't use the front door." Kira explained as she continued to focus on her book.

"I wasn't sneaking in I was just taking you in consideration and entering quietly." He explained.

"Yeah, shouldn't you be at practice?" She asked.

"Yeah umm practice was cut short today. Coaches decided to let us enjoy the summer break." He added.

"You quit didn't you?" Kira said still reading her book.

"Yes." He admitted.

"I knew it was just a matter of time till you gave up. Shame really you were actually good." Leah said as she walked out of the kitchen.

"How long were you there?" Terrence said stunned that his twin was at home.

"Terry I knew you were going to quit, the signs were obvious. I suppose you thought of a good story to tell dad." Leah said with a slight know it all attitude.

As the twins continued to go back and forth Kira quietly put up her book and headed for the door.

"Where are you off to?" Leah asked.

"I'm going to meet with Jake, I'll be home later. If I don't make it home in time fill me in on how things go with mom and dad." She said as she walked out the door.

Over at the MacClenny house hold, Jacob was in the back yard drawing lines in the dirt.

"Son please tell me you won't tear up the yard." Jacobs dad pleaded.

"Don't worry a friend of mine showed me this circle and I have been dying to try it out on a large scale." Jacob said as he continued to draw a large transmutation circle on the back yard.

"Hey Mr. MacClenny, what's Jake up to now?" Kira asked as she was let into the back yard by Jacobs mother.

"A friend of his showed him a transmutation circle that helps grass grow and he wanted to try it on a large scale. I'm just praying he doesn't destroy the back yard." Mr. MacClenny said with a hint of worry.

"Dad if something does happen trust I can fix it. Common I'm the Transmutation Circle Alchemist. I got this." Jacob said reassuring his father.

"So I take it Pete showed you this?" Kira asked.

" Yep, he even demonstrated it for me. Dad you're going to love this." Jacob said as he finished the circle.

He then proceeded to scatter grass seeds within the circle before making his way, carefully, to the back porch.

"Alright here we go." Jacob said getting himself ready.

"You're not going to clap your hands before activating the circle are you?" Kira asked.

"He still does that?" Mr. MacClenny asked as he turned to Kira.

"Hey it's how I pay homage to a great Alchemist." With that Jacob clapped his hands and planted them onto the circle setting off the alchemic reaction.

It didn't take long for the grass to start growing however it was taking a lot out Jacob to do it. It's rare that an alchemic reaction would take a lot out of him but in this case it was. It might have been the scale of the reaction or plants just took more energy. Either way Jacob was now digging his fingers into the dirt.

"Jacob that's enough you're over doing it." Kira said as she started to get worried.

"I'm… Almost done." Jacob protested.

Soon the grass was green, thick, and once it was the right length Jacob let go and fell backwards breathing heavily.

"Jacob…" His father said as he leaned over him.

"You're crazy but damn you're good." He added as he helped his son up.

Meanwhile in town at a small bistro a rather handsome man in a dark suit sipped some tea while he waited to meet someone.

"You're late." He said as someone walked up behind him.

"My bad, but I don't know this place very well." A woman said as she sat at the table.

"That's a nice look for you, I hope she isn't someone from this town." Lust said as he sized up the form Envy was in.

"No this is a woman I saw in Central… Wait what are you looking at?" She snapped once she noticed he was starting to stair.

The form she was in was of an attractive blond with fare skin, long legs and a hard to ignore chest. She wore black open toed shoes, a small black dress with thin straps that hung loosely on her shoulders. She had a matching purse and big sunglasses.

"Honestly I would have thought you would have chosen a form that doesn't stick out as much." Lust said as he took another sip of tea.

"Maybe I liked to be looked at every now and then." Envy said.

"Well you have to live to your name I guess. At any rate did you find out where that Lieutenant was staying?" Lust asked.

"Yeah, he and his girlfriend live just outside the town. He's staying with his family and she is with hers. They are very rarely apart." She reported.

"Not surprising but I have a feeling we may be able to further persuade him here." He said somewhat optimistic.

"Have you heard anything from Pride or Dante?" She asked.

"Pride has been calling me trying to get one of us to go up and help her. I keep telling her that finding someone to make a Philosopher Stone is more important than starting a war." He added.

"Well I suppose anyone is better than Wrath or Gluttony. But, doesn't she have Sloth to help her?" She asked.

"She does but there is only so much that Sloth can help with. Depending on how things go here it would be best if you went up there to help. I'm sure me and Greed can take care of things here especially when Jacob gets back to Central. But hopefully it won't come to that and we can obtain our prize here." Lust explained.

"Well I just hope you and Dante are on the same page. Sometimes I think she favors Pride over the rest of us." Envy complained.

"Ah so that's it you're jealous." He said with a grin.

"I'll let you know if anything comes up. I'll meet you later." With that Envy got up from the table and started walking away, but not before ducking into an ally and changing her form. This time she took the form of a young man.

At Fort Hughes a delegation of diplomats from Ishbal were being escorted across the border to a hotel where the Ishbalans were to meet with diplomats from Amestris to discuss a new peace treaty that could at the very least make the border a little easier to cross. Djimon Barack was among the Ishbalan delegation and so was his daughter Akeela.

Djimon decided to bring his daughter just so she could see William. After a few talks Djimon grew to respect William and found him to truly be a good and honest man. He also felt that if things worked out for the better William and Akeela could serve as an example for lasting peace. She the daughter of someone who is high up in Ishbalan society and he a military officer whose brother was a State Alchemist. If those two could overcome their cultures than perhaps a true peace could be obtained.

William showed up at Djimon and Akeela's hotel room once the media circus had died down. He knocked on the door and was greeted by an ecstatic Akeela who instantly threw her arms around him. Something she had obviously been wanting to do for a long time.

"I remember when you use to greet me like that my dear." Djimon said with a smile on his face.

"Well this is the first time I got to see William without a fence in the way." She proclaimed.

"Thank you for having me Mr. Barack." William said.

It was obvious that William was nervous about being there. All men are nervous around their girlfriends parents but in this case it seemed even more stressful.

"It's a pleasure to have you my boy, please sit." Djimon said as he welcomed him in.

Akeela took William by the arm and led him to the couch.

"So how have you been William?" Djimon asked as he sat in the chair across from the couch.

"I've been great sir. I am in command of some good troops and my superiors have been impressed with my work as of late." William proclaimed.

"And your family?" "Djimon asked.

"They're good. My brother is at home visiting family with his fiancée. Honestly I wish I could be there with him but it's good Jake and Kira spend some time together alone and with the rest of the family." William explained.

"That's good to hear. When will your brother be getting married?" Djimon asked.

"As soon as Kira graduates from the University of Amestris." William answered.

"Wow I've heard of that school. I wish I could attend but with the laws the way they are." Akeela added.

"Yes I know that Central is a large city and has many Alchemists, and I understand the University has many Alchemy classes but they are the top university in the country. I'd like nothing more than to send Akeela." Djimon explained.

"Yes I'd like to try to either be a teacher or a doctor but the higher education centers in Ishbal are lacking." Akeela added.

"That is one of many reasons why me and my companions are here on this trip. To provide future generations with more opportunities to succeed in this world. But please won't you join us for dinner? I had a traditional Ishbalan meal prepared, I hope you like it." Djimon said as he stood up and called to check on the food.

It wasn't long till the meal was delivered to the room. Akeela and William set the table and passed out the food while Djimon tipped the waiter. They sat down at the table and Djimon said an Ishbalan blessing on the food. They started to eat but before anyone could take a bite William stopped them.

"Wait something doesn't smell or look right." William said his suspicions high.

"Are you sure William? Your probably being overly cautious." Akeela said.

"No I studied a lot about your culture as well as your foods. I've also been trained to identify poisons." William said as he pulled a small kit from a bag he was carrying.

He took a sample each piece of food from their plates and tested them with the poison kit. Sure enough the food was tainted with a poison, a rather powerful one at that.

"Who would dare do such a thing?" Djimon said as he stood up.

"I don't know but I think it's safe to say you have enemies on both side of the fence correct." William said.

"That's true, I doubt there is anyone we can trust." Djimon said as he sat back down.

"It's probably best we don't take this to the normal authorities. My commander seems might be trusted. In fact he's the one who suggested I bring the poison kit." William realized.

"Yes I know your commander, I've met him he seems like he can be trusted. Yes contact him. And William, if possible I want you to be my personal bodyguard." Djimon insisted.

"Yes, yes I see. Good work Lt. MacClenny, stay with Mr. Barack and see to it that no further harm comes to him while he's here. Good luck." Colonel Hickam said as he hung the phone.

"So that's the situation any thoughts?" The Colonel asked his staff.

"It it possible that this could be by one of the Isbalan extremist groups wanting to stop the proceedings." One staff member hypothesized.

"Sir if I may." A female Lt. Colonel said as she stood up.

"Yes Lt. Colonel Brandon do you have anything to add?" Colonel Hickam asked.

She cleared her throat, organized her files and adjusted her eye patch.

"I believe this attack is to sophisticated to be from the Ishbalan extremists. No this was professional and from this side of the fence. However I believe that the potential assassin chose to be found out to send a message. And that message has been intercepted, we found this on the internet a few moments ago from an anti-Ishbal group claiming responsibility." She said as she passed out a print out of the webpage along with a file on the group.

"It is my opinion that another attempt will be made on the lives of the delegation either before or during the conference. I have an investigation team ready to pursue this lead." She added.

"Very well. Lt. Colonel I want you and your team to follow up on your lead. The rest of you follow up any and all leads you may come across. Dismissed." Colonel Hickam said. They exchanged salutes and went their separate ways.

Once she was out of the building and in the clear Pride picked up her phone and made a call.

"Everything is in motion as planned. I'll keep you updated on further developments. Oh and please try to give me Envy. I need her skills." With that the person on the other end acknowledged and hung up. Pride put her phone away and walked back to her car. Unbeknownst to her Colonel Hickam was watching her from his office.

* * *

To Be Continued.

Sorry it is taking so long between chapters, If any artist out there likes my fan fiction it would be awesome if you could do some fan art for me. I love fan art but since I can't draw a straight line I write fanfics. I like to visit and have tried to post my fanfics there but I have a hard time with how their system works. So if you do make any fan art of my characters please let me know. That would be better than any good review I could ever get. But please feel free to review my work. So till next time keep reading and reviewing.


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